December 2024 sky – watch
This December Jupiter will reach its best apparition in a decade for sky-watchers, offering loads of details for sky-watchers with telescope. Mars will join Jupiter in the eastern sky on later December evenings; being just a month away from its own best appearance for us in two years. Saturn will be visible in the early southwestern sky, while Venus dazzles soon after sunset in the western sky.
On December 4th look for the crescent Moon just below Venus. We can’t miss either one because they are both so bright.
On December 7th a slightly fuller Moon will be seen below and right of Saturn; the ringed planet being visible until it sets in the west around midnight at the start of December, and around 10 pm at the end of the month.
Jupiter reaches opposition on December 7th; rising in the East as the Sun sets in the West ( they are opposite each other in the sky as we see them). Jupiter is visible all night lying among the stars of Taurus the Bull, and above well-known constellation Orion. Jupiter will be highest in the sky at midnight and will be bright. In fact it is the brightest thing in that part of the sky, until a nearly full moon stand above and right of it on December 13th.
Mars opens December quite bright in the eastern sky rising around 8:30 pm, and brightens noticeably throughout the month. By midnight it will be well up among the stars of Cancer the Crab in the eastern sky and it will reach opposition in January 2025.
On the morning of December 28th Mercury and a very slim crescent Moon appear very close, rising together around 6 am; and very close to the horizon.
Full Moon in December is on the 15th.
The Annual Planetarium Christmas program will be presented for 5 nights at 7 pm at the Kent County High School Planetarium beginning Friday December 13th. The program continues on Monday and Tuesday December 16th and 17th; and again on Thursday and Friday December 19th and 20th. There is no admission price and seasonal refreshments are available,
Join us for the show; and have a Merry Christmas!!
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Thank you so much for giving us the monthly “sky report”.
Some viewing days will be better than others, so it’s nice to know you can catch another extraordinary view on a better night