While December is an extreme month – cold and dark in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa in the Southern Hemisphere – It is also the best month of the year for amateur astronomers and amateurs.
A series of meteor showers occur one after another, and maybe you are a little tired of making "shooting stars" wishes. There are also great opportunities to discover the solar system's neighbors, watch the sun and moon dance, and mark the winter solstice on the astronomical calendar. Whatever drives you to enjoy the night sky this month, be sure to dress a little warmer – even in the Southern Hemisphere, it can be cold at night.
December 2 – The Phoenix Meteor Shower will peak
While the other two meteor showers are most famous in December — the very active Gemini meteor shower during the month and the less active but still deeply impactful Bear Meteor Shower at the end of the month — the first meteor shower of the month actually occurred on the night of December 2. On this night, the Phoenix meteor shower peaked with only a small number of meteors per hour.
For most observers in North America, the Phoenix meteor swarm will appear below the horizon with no meteors in sight. This is because the Phoenix constellation radiation point is most easily viewed from the closer equator and the southern hemisphere. This is an interesting opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts in Central and South America, Southern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Oceania to try to spot different meteor showers this month.
December 4 - All Meals
You may remember my guide to the night sky in November, where last month's lunar eclipse indicated that a solar eclipse was coming. In this case, unless you find in advance a worldwide place where you can see the best place to see whole foods, you will have a hard time seeing this spectacle.
In fact, only the southernmost tip of South Africa can see the full course of a partial solar eclipse, and the rest of the eclipse (and total eclipse) can only be seen in Antarctica and the distant Atlantic Ocean. Although some cruise ships plan to see this wonder in the area, this eclipse is too difficult for us to see. Especially the late notifications and the ongoing outbreaks. Most people don't care if they can see the eclipse
If you're curious about this and want to learn more, check out my eclipse viewing guide in The Total Solar Eclipse, published in late 2021
December 6 - Cassiopeia meteor shower will reach its maximum
If you're ready for another chance to spot meteors, consider going out early in the morning of December 6. This night is also the peak of the φ Cassiopeia meteor shower, which occurs right in the sky in the area where Borisov's comet could be found.
If you want to try to find φ Cassiopeia meteor, you need to find the Radiant Point of Cassiopeia in the sky first. Near this point, you may only spot a few meteors per hour. Based on the rotation on the evening of December 6, it is known that most of the meteors this time may be short-tailed, because it will enter our atmosphere directly.
Due to the new moon on December 4 (as part of the eclipse), it is very likely that you will see a meteor on the 6th.
The Meeting of the Moon and Earth on December 7
Do you remember this time last year? Saturn and Jupiter were very close to each other in the night sky at that time, and they were about to meet up – what a cool astronomical event!
Just a year later, Saturn and Jupiter continue to distance themselves from each other in the night sky, as evidenced by their monthly approach/conjuncency distance to the Moon. The time of one year resulted in a gap between two nights.
Saturn is still the first planet in the night sky to meet the Moon. This appears in the night sky at sunset on December 7, 4°11′ between them. They are too far apart to be viewed simultaneously through a telescope or binoculars' narrow field of view. But the crescent moon and the cute ringed Saturn can be found in capricorn directions, and they should be easy to spot.
December 7 - Stern - Sail Constellation Meteor Shower Peak
Image credit: Rockwell McGreen's web album
There was another meteor shower at its peak on December 7, and that was the lesser-known stern-sail (Ancient Ship) constellation meteor shower.
That night, you will most likely spot some meteors radiating from between the stern and sail constellations. The best time to go out for a stargazing is from midnight to 3 a.m. local time.
December 7 - Venus reaches its maximum brightness
This astronomical phenomenon, while not the most exciting, was also very eye-catching during the numerous high-profile astronomical events launched in December.
On the night of December 7, Venus will reach its brightest point in the 2021-2022 night cycle, it will glow at magnitude -4.7, very close to its highest brightness (-5) level, and that night, Venus will also be almost at its highest empty position in the night starry sky (Venus's highest position in the night starry sky occurred on December 5). Although the location of Venus is related to your latitude, you can find it in the west of the sunset no matter where you are. If the sky was clear that night and you couldn't find Venus, you must be looking in the wrong direction.
December 9--- Tsukigi-no-kai
On December 9, as we said, Jupiter will meet the Moon after sunset, and they are closest to 4 degrees 28 minutes apart, located in the southern sky, which is an ideal viewing position. This is two days later than the Lunar Society, where 36% of the Moon will be bright, and bright Jupiter will be easily found.
December 9 – The Unicorn meteor shower will peak
It's a meteor shower for stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere! Throughout the night of December 9, look for the meteors that come from the Unicorn radiation point. Since many people are unfamiliar with the faintly glowing Constellation Unicorn, we can look for them in the space between Orion in the west, Gemini in the north, Inuyasha in the south, and Hydra in the east. The best time to observe meteors is between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. locally.
December 10 – Asteroid 44 Apocalypse opposition
(A 3D model of the asteroid 44 Samurai, derived from Josef Ďurech and Vojtěch Sidorin of the Institute of Astronomy at Charles University.
Have you been searching for asteroids for the past year? I've been stressing that every month there's a great opportunity to try to spot asteroids – and so far, that's basically confirmed every month of the year!
Your last chance of the year will come on December 10th, so be sure to mark it on your calendar. At that time, the asteroid 44 Samurai will reach the hedge position and be illuminated by the sun. Of course, you'll need an assistant (binoculars or telescopes) to get a glimpse of this huge, bright main-belt asteroid — but as scientists did when they first discovered the asteroid in 1857, I'm sure you'll be able to take advantage of modern technology, such as a useful telescope and stargazing apps.
December 12 – The σ-Hydrid meteor shower will peak
December 12 was the second peak of the meteor shower since December: the σ-Hydrid meteor shower. Every hour of the evening you can spot several meteors on the radiation point of the constellation Hydra
If you want to try to find meteors, the best time period is the pre-dawn time period from 2:00 am to 5:00 am local time on the 12th. However, if you choose to go out to stargazing after sunset on December 11, you should still be able to see some meteors.
December 14 – The Gemini meteor shower peaks
Image credit: Henry Lee via Flickr
If you haven't seen any meteor showers so far, then the night of December 13-14 is your chance! This evening, the Gemini meteor shower peaks, with up to 120 meteors per hour skimming across the night sky – it will be a meteor feast!
If you want to find a meteor shower from Gemini, you can first use the two bright stars Castor and Pollux to locate this constellation in the northeast sky (for most observers). Meteor activity will peak at around 2 a.m. local time on the 14th.
Unfortunately, the Moon also reaches 85% on this day and is in the lunar phase; this means it may pose some challenges to watching all the meteor activity that occurs this night.
December 26 - The Posterior Meteor Shower will peak
Image credit: Tucker Hammerstrom via Flickr
For most northern hemisphere stargazers, the Comae Berenicid meteor shower will remain at the horizon all the time. Stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere can enjoy the peak of this meteor shower on the night of December 15-16 (this time period is about midnight on the 16th to 2 a.m.) On this night, you can see up to 3 meteors at leo radiation points every hour
December 19 - December Leo Minor asteroid meteor shower will peak
Meteors, meteors, everywhere! While the December Leonis Minorid Meteor Shower is one of the lesser-known and least active of the month, it’s still a fun astronomical event if you find yourself out for a winter solstice celebration and the skies are dark.
meteor! meteor! Shooting stars everywhere! Although the Leo Minor meteor shower in December is not well known to many people, it is also one of the least active meteor showers. But if you stumble upon yourself one day going out for a winter solstice celebration, it's still an interesting astronomical event.
On the evening of December 19th. If you pay attention to Leo Minor's radiation points, you can see up to 3 meteors per hour. For most stargazers, it will appear at a low northwesterly altitude
December 21 - December Winter Solstice Day
Image credit: Alexandre André via Flickr
For people in the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 is the day of the winter solstice. We have a great list of winter solstice celebrations that bring you exciting moments on the longest night of the year... Or you can plan some stargazing activities because the moon is only 18% brighter than when it was a full moon that night.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the shortest night of the year – the summer solstice. If you're also interested in the summer solstice celebrations, we'll also have a list of cool summer solstice celebrations!
December 22 – Peak of the Ursa Minor meteor shower
Image credit: Mike Lewinski via Flickr
While the Gemini Meteor Shower is arguably the brightest star in December, let's not forget that our Ursa Minor Meteor Shower will also arrive as scheduled. It will appear between December 17 and 26, and this year's peak period is the 22nd. So this time you can see the Ursa Minor meteor shower before dawn on the 22nd, when the radiation point in the constellation Ursa Minor will usher in the highest point of the number of meteors in the night sky.
By looking for the North Star you can locate ursa Minor, and then you can scan the entire northern sky to try to catch a fleeting meteor. Since Ursa Minor is a circular constellation, it is possible to spot meteors throughout the night. In addition, the moon is almost at the beginning of a new cycle, and the night sky is therefore extremely dark
Do you have questions about these December night sky events? Pls let me know in the comments!
BY：NIGHT SKY GUIDE
FY：Astronomical volunteer team
If there is any infringement of the relevant content, please contact the author to delete it after the work is published
Please also obtain authorization to reprint, and pay attention to maintaining completeness and indicating source