December 2014

Moon Phases

Saturday, December 6, 7:27 a.m. EST

Full Moon

The Full Moon of December is known as the “Oak Moon,” “Cold Moon,” or “Long Nights Moon.” It rises around sunset and sets around sunrise; this is the only night in the month when the Moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the Moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky.

Sunday, December 14, 7:51 a.m. EST

Last Quarter Moon

The Last Quarter Moon rises around 11:45 p.m. and sets around 12:15 p.m. It is most easily seen just after sunrise in the southern sky.

Sunday, December 21, 8:36 p.m. EST

New Moon

The Moon is not visible on the date of New Moon because it is too close to the Sun, but can be seen low in the East as a narrow crescent a morning or two before, just before sunrise. It is visible low in the West an evening or two after New Moon.

Sunday, December 28, 1:31 p.m. EST

First Quarter Moon

The First Quarter Moon rises around noon and sets around 1 a.m. It dominates the evening sky.

 

Observing Highlights

Monday, December 1, 7 p.m. EST

Uranus and the Moon

The waxing gibbous Moon will pass just north of the planet Uranus. Observers in northwestern Canada and eastern Alaska will see the Moon occult Uranus, as in this view from Yellowknife, NWT, Canada.

Friday, December 5, midnight EST

Aldebaran and the Moon

The nearly full Moon passes just north of the red giant star Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster. The bright Pleiades star cluster is above and towards the West.

Monday, December 8, 11:20–11:25 p.m. EST

Double shadow transit on Jupiter

For a brief 5-minute period, the shadows of both Io and Europa will fall simultaneously on opposite limbs of Jupiter, the first of a series of double transit events culminating in a triple shadow and satellite transit on January 24, 2015.

Sunday, December 14, 7 a.m. EST

Geminid meteor shower peaks

A last quarter Moon will interfere with viewing this most reliable meteor shower. The best meteors will be visible about 90 degrees away from the radiant in Gemini.

Tuesday, December 16, 1:12–02:02 a.m. EST

Double shadow transit on Jupiter

For 50 minutes the shadows of both Io and Europa will fall simultaneously on Jupiter. Note that this event occurs after midnight on Monday, December 15.

Friday, December 19, 1 hour before sunrise

Saturn and the Moon

Saturn makes a reappearance as a “morning star” close to the slender waning crescent Moon, just before sunrise Friday morning.

Sunday, December 21, 6:03 p.m. EST

Winter solstice

The Sun reaches its southernmost position in the sky, and begins moving northward again. New Moon is less than 3 hours away, so the Moon is close by, and the Sun is flanked by four planets (Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Saturn) and two dwarf planets (Pluto and Ceres). As happens every year at the solstice, the Sun is only a few degrees away from “alignment” with the black hole at the center of our Galaxy. This is the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sunday, December 28, midnight EST

Uranus and the Moon

The waxing gibbous Moon again passes just north of the planet Uranus. Observers in northeastern Asia, Alaska, and northern Canada will see the Moon occult Uranus, as in this view from Yellowknife, NWT, Canada.

 

Planets

Mercury is too close to the Sun to observe all month. 

 

Venus reappears as an “evening star” in the southwestern sky just after sunset at the beginning of the month.

 

Mars moves from Sagittarius into Capricornus on the 4th low in the southwestern sky, moving behind the Sun. Mars is at its closest to the Sun (perihelion) on the 12th, and spring is well advanced in its southern hemisphere.

Jupiter now rises in mid-evening in the constellation Leo, and shines brightly in the southern sky the rest of the night. A two-month series of double shadow transits begins on December 8.

Saturn reappears in as a “morning star” in Libra in the southeastern dawn sky.

Uranus is well placed in Pisces in the evening sky, setting after midnight. Two close approaches by the Moon on the 1st and 28th will make it easy to spot.

Neptune is in the early evening sky in Aquarius, setting in late evening.

Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Software Support
All graphics © 2014 Starry Night Software