The Visible Planets
Mercury is not visible from our latitude this month.
Venus continues to shine brightly in our eastern sky before sunrise. Look for a nice pairing of bright Venus with the waning crescent Moon on the morning of December 9. When viewed through a telescope, Venus will appear as a gibbous shape (like a gibbous Moon phase).
Mars is not visible this month.
Jupiter is the brightest object seen in our evening night sky. It rises in the east before sunset and is up all night long, travelling in a high arc across the southern sky before disappearing below the western horizon well before sunrise. Jupiter continues to be found within the constellation of Aries, the ram, just below the bright star Hamal. On the evening of December 21, the waxing gibbous Moon can be found near Jupiter.
Saturn is found low in our southern sky at sunset and is seen amongst the stars of Aquarius, the water bearer. Saturn can be found just above the waxing crescent Moon on the night of December 17.
Moon Phases
December 4 Last Quarter Moon
December 12 New Moon
December 19 First Quarter Moon
December 26 Full Moon (The Cold Moon)
Special Events
International Space Station (ISS) Observable Passes
During the month of December there will be evening passes of the ISS until December 5. From December 13 until the end of December, ISS passes move back to the predawn morning sky hours. Check the website http://www.heavens-above.com for exact viewing times for your location.
December 2-3 New meteor shower, the Andromedids, from Biela's Comet, last seen in the inner solar system in 1852. We could see upwards of 60 meteors per hour but one can never knows for sure.
December 11 Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Edmonton Centre meeting
Live in the Zeidler Dome at TELUS World of Science - Edmonton and presented virtually through Zoom.
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 pm
Free for anyone to attend.
See http://www.edmontonrasc.com for more details.
December 13-14 Geminid meteor shower peaks (Dark night to view the meteor shower!)
Zenith hourly rate may be greater than 120 meteors per hour!
December 21 Winter solstice occurs at precisely 8:27 p.m. MST
December 22 Ursid meteor shower peaks. Minor meteor shower.