From spacetourismguide.com
While December is a month of extremes – cold and dark in the northern hemisphere and opposite in the southern – it’s also one of the best months of the year for amateur astronomers and stargazers.
A series of meteor showers occur in such quick succession that you might almost grow tired of wishing on ‘shooting stars;’ there are also good opportunities to spot solar system neighbors, watch the celestial dance of our Sun and Moon, and mark the astronomical calendar with the December solstice. Whatever drives you out to enjoy the night sky this month, be sure to bundle up – even in the southern hemisphere, it gets chilly at night.
If you need a telescope to help enjoy this month’s night sky events, we have a guide to the best stargazing telescopes and binoculars. On that page you’ll find resources on how to find a good piece of astronomical equipment that fits your budget and helps unlock the wonders of the December night sky. Ready to explore? Read on for all of the December night sky events you can see in the coming month.
Table of Contents
December 2 – Peak of the Pheonicid Meteor Shower
December 4 – Total Solar Eclipse
December 6 – Peak of the φ-Cassiopeid Meteor Shower
December 7 – Conjunction of the Moon & Saturn
December 7 – Peak of the Puppid-Velid Meteor Shower
December 7 – Venus at Greatest Brightness
December 9 – Conjunction of the Moon & Jupiter
December 9 – Peak of the Monocerotid Meteor Shower
December 10 – Asteroid 44 Nysa at Opposition
December 12 – Peak of the σ-Hydrid Meteor Shower
December 14 – Peak of the Geminid Meteor Shower
December 16 – Peak of the Comae Berenicid Meteor Shower
December 19 – Peak of the December Leonis Minorid Meteor Shower
Witches Of The Craft® 