SOLSTICE

I am sick of everybody asking me when winter begins -- just kidding.

Today marks the winter solstice, the astronomical end of fall and the beginning of winter in our Northern Hemisphere. Winter solstice is known as the shortest day of the year - and the longest night - because it is the day of the year with the briefest amount of daylight. Skywatchers know the winter solstice is the day the sun hits its southernmost spot, and will trace a low arc across the sky. Thus, in the north, the winter solstice brings the shortest day of the year, in terms of hours of sunlight,” according to NASA’s most recent What’s Up blog. The winter solstice officially occurred at 5:03 a.m. Monday.

DETROIT – If the weather cooperates, something very special will be visible on the winter solstice this Monday night -- the “Star of Bethlehem,” also known as the “Christmas Star.”Despite the names, it’s actually not a star at all. Since Jupiter orbits the sun every 12 years and Saturn orbits the sun every 30 years, the two largest planets in the solar system don’t line up very often. The two gas giants will cross paths in the night sky on the winter solstice on Monday, Dec. 21. Though the planets are 450 million miles apart, to the naked eye, they will appear as one bright light in the sky. To view the Christmas Star, turn your gaze toward the southwest sky a little after sunset on Monday, Dec. 21.

DETROIT – With the Holiday Season approaching and a new stimulus deal still in the distance, many people are taking a hard look at their finances to budget for lean times. RELATED: How to get help while battle for second round of stimulus checks stalls in WashingtonHaving some type of a budget is essential -- especially as we head toward the Holiday Season, when spending is up for many. Look at your billsTake a look at all your bills and expenses to prioritize and determine what are the “must-pay” bills. Create a budgetAs for holiday spending, set a plan and create a spending budget for each person on your list. Talk to peopleIf you are having financial problems now, contact your landlord, your mortgage company and credit card companies.

Moviegoing audiences in North America are not rushing back to the theater just yet. In the second major weekend for U.S. and Canadian movie theaters, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” earned only $6.7 million from 2,910 locations, according to studio estimates Sunday. Although it is enough to top the charts, it also isn’t enough to jumpstart the struggling domestic exhibition industry. The weekend’s only major new opener was Sony’s PG-13 rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” which earned an estimated $1.1 million from 2,204 North American locations. Other still-closed markets include North Carolina, Michigan, New Mexico and the cities of Seattle and Portland.