December’s Astronomy Events

The December sky is not as active as other months, however we still have a few interesting things to observe such as the daytime Aretids meteor shower, which peaks on June 7th and can be seen best in the dark hour before dawn. We can also observe the Bootids meteor shower, which peaks on June 27th. This month features the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year, which takes place on June 20th.

All images are from SkySafari 6 and can be clicked on for a full screen version.

04 – Find the moon and Venus close together but very low on the southwestern horizon as the sky darkens after sunset.

The moon and Venus close together at 6:30 in the evening. Click for full-screen.

07 – On this evening, moon passes close by the Ringed Planet. See them both in Aquarius in the southeast as the sky gets dark.

The now fatter moon visits Saturn. Click for full-screen.

13 – We can enjoy the scene as the moon, Pleiades and Jupiter all line up in the eastern evening sky.

This is the moon, Pleiades and Jupiter at 6:30 in the evening. Click for full-screen.

14 – The Geminids meteor shower reaches its peak this evening but is drowned out by the glow of the almost-full moon.

At 2 am, ehe Geminids fly directly overhead, sadly too near is the full moon. Click for full-screen.

17 – Once again the moon featured, this time passing close by to the Red Planet. Some lucky observers in Canada and Alaska will see Mars be eclipsed by the moon.

The moon and Mars are within touching distance in the east this evening. Click for full-screen.

28 – A delicately thin moon nestles at the side of Antares while the illusive Mercury looks on.

December 2024

December’s Astronomy Events