This year’s December night sky brings the Full Cold Moon as well as excellent opportunities to view Jupiter, Venus, and other bright planets. Don’t miss a beautiful crescent Moon on Christmas morning (before sunrise). Also, while one of the most popular shooting stars usually arrive in December, the light of the full Moon will obscure the majority of them. So we recommend bundling up for different occasions … Here’s everything you need to know about sky events this month.
Farmers’ Almanac astronomical reports have been in continuous publication since 1818. Any questions about the December sky? Leave a comment at the end of this article. Our expert astronomers are here to tell you the answers.
Visible Planets In The December Night Sky
December is certainly a great month for planet watchers. Venus finally becomes the preeminent evening star, and blazes brightly in the southwest sky after sunset.
The planet that ranks second in brightness to Venus is Jupiter and this month it arrives at opposition to the Sun. That means Jupiter is closest to us and looks brightest for the entire year. Look for it rising at sunset in the east-northeast, then climbing high up into the southern sky during the middle of the night, and then descending the west-northwest sky at the break of dawn. Situated among the bright stars of Taurus the Bull it adds additional luster to the glorious stars and constellations of the winter season.
Although not as dazzling as Venus and Jupiter, Saturn is well placed in the southern part of the sky at nightfall. It shines as bright as a first-magnitude star, but it stands out because it is placed amidst the faint stars of the constellation Aquarius the Water Carrier. Of course, of you have access to a telescope, by all means train them on Saturn in order to get a glimpse of its famous ring system.
Let’s not forget Mars, which continues to brighten as it approaches the Earth. Each night, it draws about 427,900 miles closer to Earth and will double in brightness between December 1 and 31. Even a casual observer who steps outside during late-evening hours cannot help but notice it in the east-northeast; it literally calls attention to itself, partly because of its luminosity, but also because of its distinctive fiery orange-yellow hue.
Finally, there is speedy little Mercury, which is normally difficult to see because of its close proximity to the Sun. However, during the latter half of December you can pick it out low in the east-southeast sky an hour before Sunrise; its best morning apparition of 2024.
Read more about the visible planets.
December Night Sky Guide 2024
All times and positions are listed in Eastern time, 40 degrees north of the equator—unless otherwise specified. If you see the terms sunset, midnight, sunrise or local time, this is true no matter where you are located (no need to add or subtract for your time zone).
Look for the telescope emoji – 🔭 – which means that we recommend binoculars or telescopes. Psst … Find fun astronomy gear and more in our Starry Nights Gift Guide.
December 1 – New Moon
The New Moon occurs at 1:21 a.m. EST.
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December 2 – The Seven Sisters
About halfway up in the eastern sky at 7:30 p.m. this week is a small, concentrated group of stars called the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. This cluster may be one of the first astronomical subjects recorded. It was known to Hesiod nearly 3,000 years ago and a reference to it has been found in Chinese records dating back to 2357 BC. The Pleiades is also mentioned three times in the Bible.
Ancient stargazers of Central and South America began an important time period with the appearance of the Pleiades at their highest point at midnight.
About 410 light years away and some 20 light-years across, this open star cluster is young (astronomically speaking). The Pleiades formed about 20 million years and contains several hundred stars.
December 4 – Venus
At dusk take note of Venus sitting about 3 degrees directly above a lovely waxing crescent Moon, providing a picture perfect evening for skywatchers. The dazzling evening star soars in the southwest at nightfall during the course of December.
You will see this bright planet higher in the southwestern sky each night after sunset. In fact, you may be able to still spot Venus above the horizon 2-3 hours after sunset.
The big reason for Venus’s improved visibility to Northern Hemisphere skywatchers is its northward movement along the zodiac at a time when the Sun is reaching its most southerly point in Sagittarius around the winter solstice.
December 5 – Mercury Disappears
Mercury passes between the Earth and Sun today (called inferior conjunction). You won’t be able to find Mercury in the sky during that time because it will be lost in the Sun’s glare. But the speedy planet Mercury will not take long to pop into view in our morning sky.
By December 13, the planet will equal some of the brightest stars and rise approximately one hour before the Sun.
⭐🔭 December 7 – Jupiter and Saturn
Jupiter arrives at opposition to the Sun tonight and remains visible almost all night long during the month of December. Opposition happens when the Sun is on one side of the sky, Jupiter is on the opposite side, and Earth is in the middle.
During opposition, Jupiter reaches its highest altitude in the south in the middle of the night and shines at its biggest and brightest. Jupiter can be found rising in the east-northeast after dark among the stars of the constellation Taurus the Bull.
Also, this evening, Saturn will be situated about six degrees to the upper left of a fat waxing crescent Moon. But as the week continues, the Moon will move away from the ringed planet leaving it among the faint stars of the constellation Aquarius. At nightfall this planet shines about as brightly as the brightest stars. You can spot it every evening due south when December begins; a little west of south as the weeks go by.
During this month Saturns brightness fades a trifle, and in a telescope its rings close a bit.
Note: On cold nights, it is best to put your telescope outside at least 30 minutes before attempting to view stars through it. This allows your scope to acclimate and reduces fog on the lens. You may also want to breathe away from your telescope for the same reason. Also, don’t underestimate how cold you may get while standing outside under dark skies. Be sure to bundle up!
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December 8 – First Quarter Moon
The first quarter Moon occurs at 10:27 a.m. EST.
December 13-14 – The Geminid Meteor Shower
The Geminid Meteor Shower reaches its maximum during the overnight hours, but the Moon will be nearly full. That extra moonlight will wipe away all but the brightest shooting stars. In more favorable years, observing from a dark sky, you can spy 60 to 120 meteors per hour. However, this year, you will be lucky to see 10-15 shooting stars per hour.
🔭 December 14 – Jupiter
This evening, look for Jupiter sitting almost exactly midway between the nearly full Moon and Taurus’ Bull’s eye star, Aldebaran.
⭐ December 15 – Full Cold Moon
The Full Cold Moon reaches peak illumination at 4:02 a.m. EST.
Share your full Moon photos in the comments below!
RELATED: Full Moon Rituals
December 17 – Mars
Late evening skywatchers, look for a waning gibbous Moon less than three degrees above a brilliant orange starlike object: Mars (brightening during December from magnitude -0.5 to -1.2 as it nears opposition).
Mars now outshines all starlike evening objects except Venus, Jupiter, and Sirius. On December 1, Mars rises in the east-northeast about 4 hours after sunset; by the end of the month you can find it rising about 90 minutes after darkness falls.
December 21 – Winter Solstice
The winter solstice occurs at 4:21 a.m. Eastern standard time. This moment marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Learn more about winter solstice.
December 22 – Last Quarter Moon
The last quarter Moon occurs at 5:18 p.m. EST.
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🔭 December 23-24 – Mercury
On December 23, Mercury will be seven degrees to the upper left of Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. But Mercury will clearly stand out, shining more than three times brighter than that reddish star.
On December 24, Mercury will stand at greatest elongation, 22 degrees west of the Sun, marking the best morning in 2024 to view this elusive planet.
As seen from latitude 40 degrees north, Mercury will rise in the east-southeast before the start of astronomical twilight from December 17-29.
⭐ December 25 – Crescent Moon and Spica
Waking up before sunrise to put some presents under the tree? Step outside to catch a beautiful crescent Moon near Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Go to our Crescent Moon Calendar.
December 28 – Moon and Antares
A slender crescent Moon will sit only about 1 degree to the right of Antares. You can also spot Mercury shining about nine degrees to the left of Antares.
December 30 – New Moon
The New Moon occurs at 5:27 p.m. EST.
Any questions about the December night sky? Leave a comment below.
Join The Discussion
Which sky event are you looking forward to in the December night sky?
Share with your community here in the comments below!
Joe Rao
Joe Rao is an esteemed astronomer who writes for Space.com, Sky & Telescope, and Natural History Magazine. Mr. Rao is a regular contributor to the Farmers' Almanacand serves as an associate lecturer for the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.
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