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I would like to acknowledge the generosity of Arthur Davis, whose monthly 'Sky Notes' hand-outs provide the backbone of the information on this page.
| Planet | Position / Events | |
|---|---|---|
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Mercury | Reaches inferior conjunction on the 10th, after which it is a morning object. At greatest western elongation on the 29th, when it reaches mag -0.3. |
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Venus | A bright morning object. In the middle of the month it will rise at approximately 06:00 and reach mag -3.8. |
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Mars | A morning object. Mid-month it will rise at ~05:30 at mag 1.6. |
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Jupiter | A morning object. Mid-month it will rise at ~01:50 at mag 1.9. |
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Saturn | An evening object. Mid-month it will rise at ~18:00 at mag -0.2. |
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Uranus | An evening object. By the end of the month it will reach mag 5.9 and set at ~21:00. |
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Neptune | An early evening object. By the end of the month it will set at ~19:00 and reach mag 8.0. |
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Pluto | Currently lies in Ophiuchus. Difficult to observe unless you're well-equipped! |
The table below lists December's major and minor showers. Data is only shown for major showers.
| Type | Name | Peak ZHR* (No. & Date) |
Duration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAJOR | Geminids | ~ 120 | 20:45 UT, 13 Dec | 6 - 19 Dec | |
| MINOR | Ursids, Delta Arietids, Canis Minorids, Coma Berenicids, Sigma Hydrids, Dec. Monocerotids, Northern Chi Orionids, Southern Chi Orionids, Phoenicids, Alpha Puppids |
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| * ZHR = Zenithal Hourly Rate | |||||
Visit Gary Kronk's page of December radiants for more information on this month's showers.
| Date (Dec) |
1 - 4 | 5 | 6 - 11 | 12 | 13 - 17 | 18 | 19 - 25 | 26 | 27 - 31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase |  |
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| Waning, Gibbous |
Last Quarter |
Waning, Crescent |
New Moon | Waxing, Crescent |
First Quarter |
Waxing, Gibbous |
Full Moon | Waning, Gibbous |
The most recent period of maximum solar activity passed in summer 2001, so sunspot activity is winding down at the moment. It is always important to remember to never look directly at the Sun, especially not through binoculars or telescopes. Serious permanent damage can be done to your eyes. Always project an image of the Sun onto paper or card in order to make observations.
Visit the Astronomy Now site for more observational information.
