This month starts with a new moon. The moon’s 28.5° south of the equator on the 2nd and 4.9° from Mercury the same evening. But less than 8° from the sun, Mercury won’t be visible. Look for the Venus-moon pairing on the 4th. They’re 2.2° apart that evening. When the moon’s at first quarter on the 8th, it will occult Saturn for viewers in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Southern Japan out to the Northern Marianas and up toward the Aleutian Islands are the places to be to see it.
The moon crosses the equator going north as it passes by Neptune on the 9th. Lunar perigee is on the 12th at 365,300 kilometers away. Then on the 13th, the moon is near Uranus. And it’s a rendezvous with Jupiter on the 14th just before the moon is full. On the 15th, the moon is 28.4° north and occults El Nath at the edge of Auriga. The visibility will be from the southern Pacific islands toward Central America and then toward South America. Western parts of South America will be included.
The moon goes through Gemini and passes Pollux on the 17th. Then on the 18th it’s close to Mars. Far northern regions get an occultation of the red planet. Northern Russia, the northern Canadian islands, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and northwestern coastal areas of continental Europe are among the viewing spots. That covers a lot of time zones and it’s the time of year when the northern polar areas have darkness most or all of the day. So you could potentially see the occultation without having to lose any sleep.
A waning gibbous moon passes Regulus in Leo on the 20th. Last quarter ison the 22nd when the moon’s also going south over the equator. Apogee is on the 24th at 404,500 kilometers away. The moon occults Spica that morning. That will be visible from eastern Asian locations into the western Pacific.
A thin crescent moon passes Mercury on the morning of the 29th. When the moon’s new again on the 30th, it’s also 28.4° south of the equator. And maybe a few people can spot the young moon in the evening on New Year’s Eve.
Mercury’s transition from evening to morning happens on the 6th. It’s at inferior conjunction and perihelion that day. In the second half of the month, the messenger planet travels among the stars of Scorpius and at the feet of Ophiuchus. It’s at greatest elongation on the 25th, 22° west of the sun.
For about the first week of December, Venus moves eastward into the evening sky in the space between Sagittarius and Capricornus. It takes most of the rest of the month to cross Capricornus. As the month ends, Venus is getting noticeably close to Saturn, which spends the month in the middle of Aquarius.
Jupiter is just a little east of the Hyades and moving sort of toward them this month.
Mars, which has been heading toward Asellus Borealis in Cancer, turns around short of the star about the 7th. Then the red planet goes back toward Gemini. Its movement seems kind of slow at first, but it picks up steam later in the month.
The Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak about the 14th. But with the moon being full on the 15th, viewing isn’t so good this year.
The December solstice is on the 21st at 09:21 UT.
Things to look for this month:
