SkyEye: December 2024

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events!

All times and dates are in UT with the time given to the nearest 30 minutes.
Planetary positions are geocentric apparent places, referred to the true equator and equinox of date.

The phases of the in December 2024

Day	Events
1	The NEW MOON occults the first-magnitude star α Sco (Antares) but the event will not be visible due to the close proximity of the Sun. The enigmatic Phoenicid meteor shower may peak today.
2	At 02:00, the very slender crescent Moon moves 4.9° south of Mercury.
3	Mars is 1.3° north of the open cluster M44 (Beehive) at 14:00.
4	Saturn reaches east quadrature today. At 22:30, the Moon and Venus are 2.3° apart in the evening sky. Also, look for the Puppid-Velid meteor shower which peaks around this time and will benefit from mostly moonless skies.
5
6	Mercury is at inferior conjunction.
7	Jupiter is at opposition, shining at magnitude −2.8 in the constellation of Taurus. Mars enters into retrograde motion today.
8	The FIRST QUARTER MOON occults Saturn in an event beginning around 09:00. Neptune reaches a stationary point and returns to direct motion.
9	The minor σ Hydrid meteor shower peaks today and is not unduly inconvenienced by moonlight. The waxing gibbous Moon occults Neptune beginning at 08:00 and reaches its ascending node about 11 hours later.
10
11
12	The Moon is at perigee.
13	The Moon is 4.4° north of Uranus at 09:30 and occults the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) at 17:00.
14	The major meteor shower of the month, the Geminids, is largely lost to moonlight. Jupiter and the Moon are 5.5° apart at 19:00.
15	The instant of FULL MOON occurs at about 09:00. Mercury returns to direct motion later in the day.
16
17	The waning gibbous Moon is 2.0° south of the first-magnitude star β Gem (Pollux) at 12:00.
18	Mars is occulted by the Moon at 09:00 and at 11:30, the Moon passes 2.7° north of the open cluster M44 (Beehive). Neptune reaches east quadrature.
19
20	The waning gibbous Moon is 2.5° north of the first-magnitude star α Leo (Regulus) at 05:30.
21	Earth arrives at solstice, bringing the beginning of summer to the southern hemisphere and winter to the north.
22	The LAST QUARTER MOON passes through its descending node. The light of our satellite may interfere with observations of the Ursid meteor shower which peaks at 10:00. However, Earth may also encounter a filament of this shower the previous day.
23
24	The waning crescent Moon occults the first-magnitude star α Vir (Spica) at 19:30.
25	Mercury reaches its greatest elongation west of 22.0°.
26
27
28	The Moon occults the first-magnitude star α Sco (Antares) at 14:30.
29	The very slender waning crescent Moon approaches Mercury to within 6.4° at 04:30.
30	The second NEW MOON in a month is sometimes referred to as a Black Moon.
31	Mars attains its maximum northerly declination for the year.

The position of the Sun and planets at mid-December 2024

Sun Ophiuchus → Sagittarius Although Ophiuchus is not a member of the zodiac, the ecliptic passes through it.

Mercury Ophiuchus → Scorpius → Ophiuchus Mercury disappears at the beginning of the month, undergoing inferior conjunction on 6 December, and then reappearing in the east before sunrise. It brightens throughout its morning appearance and rises ever higher above the horizon until its greatest elongation west on 25 December, after which it descends. Retrograde motion begins mid-month.

Venus Sagittiuar → Capricornus Venus is the evening star. It is highest in the sky as seen from the southern hemisphere but is already descending back toward the western horizon for those viewers. For observers in the north, Venus continues to ascend.

Earth and Moon Solstice arrives on Earth on 21 December, with summer beginning in the southern hemisphere and winter in the north. There are a number of meteor showers this month but the strongest one, the Geminids, is largely washed out by moonlight. The Moon occults three planets this month: Saturn, Neptune, and Mars on 8, 9, and 18 December respectively. The Moon also appears in its new phase twice.

Mars Cancer Mars is 1.3° north of the open star cluster known as the Beehive on the third day of the month. Retrograde motion begins on 7 December and the red planet is occulted by the Moon eleven days later. Mars is visible for most of the night, rising in the early evening.

Jupiter Taurus The king of the planets is at opposition this month and is visible all night.

Saturn Aquarius At east quadrature early this month, Saturn is already aloft at sunset, setting in late evening. The ringed planet is occulted by the waxing crescent Moon on 8 December.

Uranus Taurus → Aries At opposition last month, Uranus has already risen by the time the Sun sets, and disappears in the west just before dawn.

Neptune Pisces A small telescope is necessary to view the most distant planet in the solar system. Neptune returns to direct motion on 8 November and is occulted by the Moon the following day. Like Saturn, Neptune reaches east quadrature this month. This blue ice giant sets around midnight so look for it as soon as skies are dark and the Moon is absent.