This December, skywatchers can enjoy the Geminid meteor shower, peaking on the night of December 13th, and the chance to observe asteroid Vesta, specifically when its at opposition. The Moon will likewise line up with worlds like Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter on specific dates. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
What are some skywatching highlights in December 2023? Clear skies will produce perfect watching of the Geminid meteor shower, and grab your field glasses to browse for asteroid Vesta.
Vesta at Opposition and Geminid Meteors!
The most trustworthy meteors of the year are here, without any interference from a bright Moon. The Geminids peak overnight on the 13th into the morning of the 14th. And if you d like to include “asteroid observer” to your list of achievements, attempt your hand at observing Vesta with binoculars or a small telescope.
December skywatching highlights:
Sky chart revealing the crescent Moon with Venus on the early mornings of December 7-10. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Video Transcript
Whats Up for December? The finest views of the Moon and worlds, the Geminid meteors are set for a great show, and a possibility to observe an asteroid with your own eyes.
The Moon checks out the brilliant planets in the sky, in turn, over the course of the month, starting with 4 early mornings in early December– the 7th through the 10th– when you can capture a charming grouping of Venus, the crescent Moon, and bright star Spica in the southeast.
On the 17th, youll find the crescent Moon hanging simply below Saturn in the southwest for the very first couple of hours after sundown. Most binoculars will expose both of them in the exact same field of view. And for a difficulty, see if you can identify Saturns giant moon Titan as a faint dot just off to the planets side here.
Sky chart showing the crescent Moon with Saturn on the night of December 17. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Later on that week, the nearly moon hangs out with Jupiter over two nights on the 21st and 22nd. Youll see them toward the southeast early in the night, and they travel westward throughout the sky together all night long.
The years most trusted meteor shower, the Geminids, occurs each year in December. While the Perseids tend to get a bit more attention due to the fact that they occur during warmer weather condition in the Northern Hemisphere, the Geminids generally produce more meteors. At their peak, you might even see a meteor every minute.
The shower peaks overnight on December 13 and the morning of the 14th. Audiences in the Northern Hemisphere can look for meteors as early as 9 or 10 p.m. on the 13th. The hourly number of meteors must increase after that, with the biggest number flashing through the sky in between midnight and morning twilight.
Southern Hemisphere skywatchers can also see the Geminids, though they appear in the middle of the night, and at about a quarter of the Northern rate.
If you have clear skies, conditions need to be ideal for this years peak night, which is just one day after the brand-new moon, leaving the sky dark and great all night. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini, but youll see more shooting stars if you look straight overhead and take in as much of the sky as possible.
Sky chart revealing the motion of asteroid Vesta throughout December. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Wish to see an asteroid with your own eyes? Asteroid Vesta reaches opposition this month, suggesting its located straight on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. This is also around the time Vesta is closest to Earth, so its at its brightest and easiest to observe.
Occasionally Vesta is close enough to Earth at opposition that you can almost see it with your eyes alone. This year, youll desire to use field glasses or a small telescope to browse it out.
NASAs Dawn spacecraft got extremely near Vesta, orbiting the oval-shaped world in 2011 and 2012. It discovered that Vesta formed in our solar systems first couple of million years, and mapped the surface area in fantastic detail.
This December, Vesta is highest overhead around 1 or 2 in the morning (which is ideal for telescope viewing), but you can observe it as early as about 10pm, when it will appear about halfway up the eastern sky.
Sky chart showing the area of asteroid Vesta on December 1 and December 8. On these nights, Vesta will be simple to find along a line between Betelgeuse in Orion and one of two intense stars in Gemini. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
On December 1st, you can discover Vesta along a line in between Betelgeuse and this star, Tejat. Use your favorite skywatching app as a guide to Vestas place within the starfield you see on whatever night youre observing.
And if youre hungry for more asteroid exploration, theres more en route! NASAs Psyche mission recently released on its journey to metal-rich asteroid Psyche, and our Lucy spacecraft just flew past asteroid Dinkinesh with its little satellite asteroids, at the start of November. Lucy is heading for the Trojan asteroids, a special family of space rocks that share Jupiters orbit and are likely to be remnants of the exact same primitive material that formed Jupiter and the other outer planets.
And if that sounds fascinating to you, maybe youre ready to add “asteroid observer” to your list of achievements, as you look for Vesta in the December sky.
Here are the phases of the Moon for December.
The stages of the Moon for December 2023. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
This December, skywatchers can enjoy the Geminid meteor shower, peaking on the night of December 13th, and the chance to observe asteroid Vesta, especially when its at opposition. December 13– The Geminid meteors peak overnight tonight. The years most reliable meteor shower, the Geminids, takes place annually in December. Sky chart showing the area of asteroid Vesta on December 1 and December 8. On December 1st, you can find Vesta along a line between Betelgeuse and this star, Tejat.
December 7-10– Catch the slendering crescent of the Moon each early morning over 4 days, as it increases together with Venus and brilliant star Spica, in the east during the couple of hours before dawn.
December 12– New moon
December 13– The Geminid meteors peak over night tonight. Northern Hemisphere observers can look for meteors as early as 9 or 10 p.m., with the hourly number increasing after midnight. Gown warmly, escape bright lights, and take in as much of the sky as possible. Meteors will fall all over the sky.
December 17– Following sundown, try to find the crescent Moon extremely near Saturn in the southwest. Field glasses or a small telescope can expose Saturns giant moon Titan as a faint dot right beside the planet.
December 21– Jupiter appears close to the nearly moon in the southeast as darkness falls. View them glide across the sky together all night.
December 26– Full moon
All month– Asteroid Vesta is at opposition, suggesting it is straight on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, and at its closest and brightest for the year. This is a great time to try seeing it with binoculars or a small telescope. Search for it to move northward in the sky in between Gemini and Orion throughout the month. USe your preferred skywatching app to locate its accurate position on the night youre observing.