Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial
events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).
Brief Calendar of Events
| Date | Event |
| 2 |
Mon |
Moon at perigee |
| 4 |
Wed |
Total solar eclipse |
| New Moon |
| 5 |
Thu |
Moon occults Mercury |
| 6 |
Fri |
Phoenicids meteor shower |
| 7 |
Sat |
Puppid-Velids meteor shower |
| 9 |
Mon |
Pluto at conjunction |
| 11 |
Wed |
First Quarter Moon |
| 14 |
Sat |
Moon at apogee |
| Geminids meteor shower |
| 17 |
Tue |
Saturn at opposition |
| 19 |
Thu |
Full Moon |
| 22 |
Sun |
Solstice |
| Ursids meteor shower |
| 26 |
Thu |
Mercury at greatest elongation east (20°) |
| 27 |
Fri |
Last Quarter Moon |
| 29 |
Sun |
Moon occults Mars |
| 30 |
Mon |
Moon at perigee |
Solstice occurs on Earth this month, marking the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and the start of summer in the south.
As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the non-zodiacal constellation Ophiuchus to the constellation Sagittarius.
The Moon occults Mercury during daylight hours on 5 December. Siberian observers will have a chance to see Mars disappear behind the limb of the Moon from about 23 UT on 29 December.
The Planets
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Mercury
- Mercury is occulted by the Moon on 5 December. This elusive planet is found close to the western horizon after sunset in the constellations Ophiuchus and Sagittarius.
- Venus
- Venus is at its brightest early in the month. Rising high in the eastern sky before sunrise, the "morning star" can be found in the constellations Virgo and Libra.
- Mars
- The last lunar occultation of a planet this year begins late on 29 December when the Moon covers the red planet. Mars rises with Venus in the constellations Virgo and Libra.
- Jupiter
- The largest planet in the solar system rises in the early evening in the constellation Cancer.
- Saturn
- With opposition occurring on 17 December, Saturn is up all night in the constellation Taurus. A telescope will reveal its proximity to the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant.
- Uranus
- Uranus sets just as Jupiter rises. You will probably need optical aids to see it in the constellation Capricornus.
- Neptune
- The farthest of the gas giants is found not far from Uranus in the constellation Capricornus.
- Pluto
- Pluto is at conjunction and is too close to the Sun to be seen at any time this month.
Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors
- Minor Planets
- A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
- Comets
- There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
- Meteors
- Because they follow soon after this month's New Moon, both the Phoenicids and Puppid-Velids meteor showers enjoy dark skies this year. The waxing gibbous Moon causes some problems early in the evening for the Geminids meteor shower and the Ursids meteor shower is largely lost in the bright skies in the days following Full Moon.
The Celestial Sphere
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
For More Information...
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of your favourite amateur astronomy magazine available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2002 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Obliquity
Last modified on 30 November 2002
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2002/dec2002.html