Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).
Brief Calendar of Events
| 6 |
Sat |
Phoenicids meteor shower |
| 7 |
Sun |
Puppid-Velids meteor shower |
| Moon at apogee |
| 8 |
Mon |
Full Moon |
| 9 |
Tue |
Mercury at greatest elongation east |
| 10 |
Wed |
Jupiter at west quadrature |
| 12 |
Fri |
Pluto at conjunction |
| 14 |
Sun |
Geminids meteor shower |
| 16 |
Tue |
Last Quarter Moon |
| 22 |
Mon |
Solstice |
| Moon at perigee |
| 23 |
Tue |
Ursids meteor shower |
| New Moon |
| 27 |
Sat |
Mercury at inferior conjunction |
| 29 |
Mon |
Comet 2P/Encke at perihelion |
| 30 |
Tue |
Mars at east quadrature |
| First Quarter Moon |
| 31 |
Wed |
Saturn at opposition |
The Sun and Moon
Solstice occurs on Earth this month, marking the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and the start of summer in the south.
As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the non-zodiacal constellation Ophiuchus to the constellation Sagittarius.
The Planets
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Mercury
- Planet watchers in the southern hemisphere should look for Mercury at sunset before mid-month when it disappears in the Sun's glare. At greatest elongation east on 9 December and inferior conjunction on 27 December, the smallest of the inner planets is in the constellation Sagittarius.
- Venus
- The "evening star" puts on a fine display for observers in both hemispheres. Look for Venus after sunset in the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus.
- Mars
- The red planet does not set until just after midnight in the constellations Aquarius and Pisces.
- Jupiter
- With west quadrature occuring on 10 December, this is the best time to look at the interplay of shadows between the planet and its four Galilean moons. The king of the gas giants rises before midnight in the constellation Leo.
- Saturn
- The ringed planet reaches opposition on the last day of the year and is up all night in the constellation Gemini.
- Uranus
- Uranus sets in mid-evening in the constellation Aquarius.
- Neptune
- This planet is getting increasingly difficult to see since it sets in early evening in the constellation Capricornus. A small telescope will be necessary to spot it.
- Pluto
- Pluto as at conjunction on 12 December and cannot be seen in the constellations Ophiuchus and Serpens Cauda.
Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors
- Minor Planets
- A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
- Comets
- Comet 2P/Encke may reach naked eye magnitudes this month in the constellation Ophiuchus. The best views of this comet will be from the southern hemisphere.
- Meteors
- The Full Moon wipes out both the Phoenicids and Puppid-Velids meteor showers, and the waning gibbous Moon interferes badly with the Geminids. However, dark skies greet northern hemisphere observers looking at the Ursids meteor shower.
The Celestial Sphere
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
For More Information...
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of your favourite amateur astronomy magazine available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2003 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Obliquity
Last modified on 30 November 2003
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2003/dec2003.html