Local Sky Events
December
Check back often for updates
- Moon is New Dec 1, first quarter Dec 8, full Moon Dec 15, third quarter Dec 22 and new again on Dec 30.
- Winter Solstice occurs on Dec 21 at 4:21 AM EST and is the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. A good night for observing the night sky.
- Geminid Meteor Shower will peak the night of Dec 13-14. Unfortunately, it will compete with an almost full moon. Look anyway.
- Venus, shining at magnitude -4, continues to dominate the early evening western sky.
- Saturn is heading toward the southwestern horizon. It looks slightly vertically elongated as its rings are a vertical line to us and difficult to pick out, but this plane crossing event aids in seeing its moons.
- Jupiter rises in the east just after sunset and dominates the sky after
Venus sets. It is a great target for viewing by binoculars and small to medium-sized telescopes. Watch the dance of its 4 Galilean moons.
- Mars can be found in the northeastern sky and comes within 2 degrees of the famous Beehive star cluster on the 7th.
- Mercury puts in a nice dawn apparition beginning on Dec 25th rising to about 11 degrees above the southeastern horizon about a half hour before the Sun rises. At magnitude -0.4, it should be easy to spot with binoculars.
Check back often for updates
- Moon is New Dec 1, first quarter Dec 8, full Moon Dec 15, third quarter Dec 22 and new again on Dec 30.
- Winter Solstice occurs on Dec 21 at 4:21 AM EST and is the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. A good night for observing the night sky.
- Geminid Meteor Shower will peak the night of Dec 13-14. Unfortunately, it will compete with an almost full moon. Look anyway.
- Venus, shining at magnitude -4, continues to dominate the early evening western sky.
- Saturn is heading toward the southwestern horizon. It looks slightly vertically elongated as its rings are a vertical line to us and difficult to pick out, but this plane crossing event aids in seeing its moons.
- Jupiter rises in the east just after sunset and dominates the sky after Venus sets. It is a great target for viewing by binoculars and small to medium-sized telescopes. Watch the dance of its 4 Galilean moons.
- Mars can be found in the northeastern sky and comes within 2 degrees of the famous Beehive star cluster on the 7th.
- Mercury puts in a nice dawn apparition beginning on Dec 25th rising to about 11 degrees above the southeastern horizon about a half hour before the Sun rises. At magnitude -0.4, it should be easy to spot with binoculars.
See our Links page - Sky Watching - for other events.
See Sky and Telescope Magazine (The Sky at a Glance) for more events.