{"id":66114,"date":"2024-12-02T13:53:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T13:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7ad3a307-4e40-4c49-a90f-c239b27d55d5"},"modified":"2024-12-02T15:39:38","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T15:39:38","slug":"a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mars occultation and Jupiter at its best. Top stargazing highlights for December 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\">What can you see in the night sky tonight? Find out what&#8217;s on view in our monthly stargazing guide. <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Pete Lawrence\n      <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Monday, 02 December 2024 at 13:53 PM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html> <head\/> <body> <p>In this guide we&#8217;ll reveal what you can see in the night sky tonight, and throughout the month.<\/p> <p>Those of us who enjoy stargazing and observing the night sky can&#8217;t always plan when and where we&#8217;re going to get the chance to gaze upwards.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What's in the night sky, December 2024\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A9lQFaAr18Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Busy schedules, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/light-pollution-astronomy\/\">light pollution<\/a>, the weather: sometimes finding even just 30 minutes to stand and stare up at a clear, dark night sky and take in the planets, stars and constellations can be a feat in itself.<\/p> <p>So when you do find the time, you&#8217;ll need to know what&#8217;s visible in the night sky tonight, and the best things to look out for when stargazing.<\/p> <p><em><strong>Complete newcomer? Read our guides to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/top-astronomy-kit\/best-telescopes-beginners\/\">best telescopes for beginners<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/astronomy-for-beginners\/\">astronomy for beginners<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">  <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Credit: M Gucci \/ Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>Here&#8217;s our stargazing guide to what you can see in the night sky tonight.<\/p> <p>Our guide is centred around what&#8217;s visible from the UK, but all northern hemisphere observers should be able to use it, with the odd adjustment to stated times.<\/p> <p>In our guide, we use Universal Time (UT) and British Summer Time (BST). UT is the standard time used by astronomers around the world. BST is one hour ahead of UT<\/p> <p class=\"p3\">We also use RA (Right ascension)and dec. (declination).<\/p> <p class=\"p3\">These coordinates are the night sky\u2019s equivalent of longitude and latitude, describing where an object is on the celestial \u2018globe\u2019.<\/p> <p class=\"p3\">For help with these, read our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/skills\/a-guide-to-celestial-coordinates\/\">celestial coordinates<\/a>.<\/p> <p><em><strong>For more advice, read our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/skills\/stargazing-top-tips\/\">how to stargaze<\/a> or sign up to receive the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/newsletter\/\">BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter<\/a> for weekly tips delivered directly to your email inbox.<\/strong><\/em><\/p> <p><strong><em>If you&#8217;re south of the equator, find out what you can see in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/southern-hemisphere-night-sky-tonight\">Southern Hemisphere night sky tonight<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/06\/07.MilkyWayBasudebChakrabarti-683bbc7.jpg\" alt=\"Milky Way over Namthing Pokhri Lake Basudeb Chakrabarti, West Bengal, India, 13 March 2022 Equipment: Nikon D5200 DSLR, Tokina 11\u201316mm lens, tripod\" class=\"wp-image-109434\" title=\"Milky Way over Namthing Pokhri Lake Basudeb Chakrabarti, West Bengal, India, 13 March 2022 Equipment: Nikon D5200 DSLR, Tokina 11\u201316mm lens, tripod\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Milky Way over Namthing Pokhri Lake Basudeb Chakrabarti, West Bengal, India, 13 March 2022 Equipment: Nikon D5200 DSLR, Tokina 11\u201316mm lens, tripod <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-s-in-the-night-sky-tonight\"><strong>What&#8217;s in the night sky tonight?<\/strong><\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-september-astronomy-highlights\"><strong>December astronomy highlights<\/strong><\/h3> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong>6 December:<\/strong> Titan shadow transit on Saturn from 18:32 UT (pm)<\/li> <li><strong>7 December:<\/strong> Jupiter reaches opposition in Taurus<\/li> <li><strong>8\/9 December:<\/strong> Excellent Ganymede shadow transit on Jupiter from 22:30 UT<\/li> <li><strong>18 December:<\/strong> Daylight lunar occultation of Mars (am)<\/li> <li><strong>22 December:<\/strong> Ursid meteor shower peak (am)<\/li> <\/ul> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Planets<\/strong><\/h2> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-lightbox\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/11\/jupiter-opposition-chart-2024.jpg\" alt=\"Chart showing the location of Jupiter in Taurus during its opposition, December 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence\" class=\"wp-image-164943\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Chart showing the location of Jupiter in Taurus during its opposition, December 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>In stark contrast to the beginning of the year, all main planets are now well-presented, even <strong>Mercury<\/strong> in the morning sky at the end of December.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/jupiter-opposition-december-2024\">Jupiter reaches opposition on 7 December<\/a> and appears to shine at mag. \u20132.7 among the stars of Taurus, the Bull.<\/p> <p>At opposition its four largest moons appear to cross the planet\u2019s disc in sync with their shadows.<\/p> <p>A good example occurs on the night of 8 December into the morning of 9 December (22:30 UT &#8211; 00:54 UT) when <strong>Ganymede<\/strong> appears to touch its own shadow as it transits Jupiter\u2019s disc.\u00a0<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1035\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/11\/lunar-occultation-mars-december-2024.jpg\" alt=\"The occultation of Mars by the Moon on 18 December 2024 occurs after Sun-up. As timings vary with location, start observing at least 15\u201320 minutes before stated times. Credit: Pete Lawrence\" class=\"wp-image-164924\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> The occultation of Mars by the Moon on 18 December 2024 occurs after Sun-up. As timings vary with location, start observing at least 15\u201320 minutes before stated times. Credit: Pete Lawrence <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <p>Another impressive event occurs on 18 December. <strong>Mars<\/strong> is now bright and prominent in the night sky ahead of its own opposition towards the end of January 2025.<\/p> <p>Shining at mag. \u20130.9 in the early hours of 18 December, a 90%-lit waning crescent Moon appears to approach the planet as dawn arrives.<\/p> <p>Later, after sunrise a rare <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/lunar-occultation-of-mars-18-december-2024\"><strong>lunar occultation<\/strong> of Mars<\/a> occurs which, despite it being daylight, should still be observable thanks to the planet\u2019s elevated brightness.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/12\/geminid-meteor-shower-tonight.jpg\" alt=\"A full Moon will spoil the peak of the Geminid meteor shower in 2024. Credit: Wenbin \/ Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-144235\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> A full Moon will spoil the peak of the Geminid meteor shower in 2024. Credit: Wenbin \/ Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Geminids<\/strong><\/h2> <p>The full Moon on 15 December spells bad news for the rich <strong>Geminid meteor shower<\/strong>.<\/p> <p>Predicted to reach maximum activity at 02:00 UT on 14 December, the entire night of 13\/14 December will have a virtually full Moon riding high across the night sky from dusk until dawn, severely diminishing the number of Geminids seen.<\/p> <p>The lower rate <strong>Ursid meteor shower<\/strong> is predicted to peak at 10:00 UT on 22 December, but even this can\u2019t escape the poorly timed last quarter Moon, which will interfere with the optimum period in the early hours of the 22nd.<\/p> <p\/> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/12\/betelgeuse-disappear-asteroid-leona.jpg\" alt=\"Betelgeuse is the red star seen in Orion's left shoulder. Credit: Wenbin \/ Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-144101\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Take time to explore Orion this winter. Credit: Wenbin \/ Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Stars and constellations<\/strong><\/h2> <p>The long December night offers some excellent stars and constellations to explore. We\u2019ve now come full circle in terms of what\u2019s visible.<\/p> <p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/skills\/orion-constellation-best-targets-observe\">Orion, the Hunter<\/a><\/strong> is appearing centre stage once again. The winter <strong>Milky Way<\/strong> flows north-south to the east of Orion, a shadow of its bright summer counterpart.<\/p> <p>This is because here we are looking away from our Galaxy\u2019s core. Despite this, there are plenty of \u2018local\u2019 deep sky objects in this region to explore.\u00a0<\/p> <p>Follow the line of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/orion-belt-sword\">Orion\u2019s Belt<\/a> southeast to bright <strong>Sirius<\/strong> (Alpha (\u03b1) Canis Majoris), the <strong>Dog Star<\/strong>.<\/p> <p>Head northeast (up and left from the UK) from Sirius to another bright star with little around it.<\/p> <p>This is <strong>Procyon<\/strong> (Alpha (\u03b1) Canis Minoris) the brightest star in Canis Minor, the <strong>Little Dog<\/strong>.<\/p> <p>Join the dots between Procyon, Sirius and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/star-betelgeuse\">Betelgeuse<\/a> (Alpha (\u03b1) Orionis) in Orion\u2019s northeast corner to find the <strong>Winter Triangle<\/strong> asterism.\u00a0<\/p> <p>The winter Milky Way flows through the Winter Triangle, a space occupied by the dim constellation <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/monoceros-constellation\">Monoceros<\/a>, the Unicorn<\/strong>.<\/p> <p>Here lie many deep sky wonders including the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/astrophotography\/nebulae\/the-rosette-nebula\">Rosette Nebula<\/a><\/strong>, the <strong>Cone Nebula<\/strong> and, fittingly for this time of year, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/christmas-tree-cluster-ngc-2264\">Christmas Tree Cluster<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 both of the latter are confusingly designated NGC 2264.\u00a0<\/p> <p>As Sirius moves into its highest position due south, look south of the star for open cluster <strong>M41<\/strong>.<\/p> <p>Sirius is so bright because it\u2019s close at a distance of 8.6 lightyears \u2013 its light passing through the turbulent atmosphere close to the horizon, causing it to flicker and flash bright colours.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"807\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/06\/01.ChristmasTreeCluster_NicolePoersch-.jpg\" alt=\"Christmas Tree Cluster Nicole Poersch, Prestwick, South Ayrshire, November 2023-April 2024 Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM camera, William Optics Zenithstar 73 III refractor, iOptron CEM25P mount\" class=\"wp-image-157391\"\/> <figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> A festive stargazing treat. The Christmas Tree Cluster. Credit: Nicole Poersch, Prestwick, South Ayrshire, UK, November 2023-April 2024 <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-night-sky-in-september-2024-night-by-night\"><strong>Night sky in December 2024, night-by-night<\/strong><\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sunday 1 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Excellent transits of Jupiter today by Ganymede and its shadow from 18:30 until 19:26 UT.<\/p> <p>Shining at mag. \u20130.5, Mars sits 2\u00b0 from the centre of the Beehive Cluster, M44.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Monday 2 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Mars occults ninth-magnitude star TYC-1398-00878-1 at 22:22 UT.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tuesday 3 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Appearing close to one another, Io and its shadow transit Jupiter\u2019s disc between 20:30 and 22:46 UT.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wednesday 4 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>At 05:30 UT, Callisto is 8 arcseconds from Jupiter\u2019s southern limb with a mag. +11.7 star 2 arcseconds from Callisto. Callisto is 5 arcseconds from Jupiter\u2019s southern limb at 06:30 UT.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Friday 6 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>An opportunity to observe Titan\u2019s shadow transit Saturn at 18:32\u201322:30 UT.<\/p> <p>Mars changes direction from prograde (moving eastward) to retrograde (moving westward) against the background stars.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Saturday 7 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Jupiter reaches opposition.<\/p> <p>As they approach setting this evening, the 41%-lit waxing crescent Moon and Saturn are fractionally less than 7\u00b0 apart.\u00a0<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sunday 8 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>This evening, the first quarter Moon and Saturn appear 5\u00b0 apart as darkness falls.\u00a0<\/p> <p>Ganymede and its touching shadow cross Jupiter at 22:30\u201300:54 UT. Io and its shadow follow suit at 03:56\u201306:08 UT on 9 December.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tuesday 10 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Dione\u2019s shadow transits Saturn at 15:21\u201318:35 UT.<\/p> <p>The Jewelled Handle lunar clair-obscur effect is visible early evening as the lunar dawn light hits the Montes Jura mountain range.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wednesday 11 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Jupiter occults a mag. +10.8 star, the star disappearing at 18:22 UT and reappearing at 20:25 UT.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Saturday 14 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Peak of the annual Geminid Meteor shower, unfavourable due to interference from the Moon<\/p> <p>The virtually full Moon lies 4.6\u00b0 north of Jupiter as darkness falls.\u00a0<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Monday 16 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Ganymede and its shadow transit Jupiter between 01:42 and 04:55 UT.<\/p> <p>Rhea\u2019s shadow transits Saturn between 15:37 and 19:21 UT, the event starting in daylight.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wednesday 18 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>The lunar occultation of Mars happens this morning. Mag. \u20130.9 Mars disappears behind the 89%-lit waning gibbous Moon between 09:24 and 10:15 UT. Times will vary slightly with location. \u00a0<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Saturday 21 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>The Northern Hemisphere\u2019s winter solstice is reached at 09:19 UT today, representing the instant in time when the Sun is at its most southerly declination.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sunday 22 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Peak of the Ursid meteor shower, best before the 58%-lit waning gibbous Moon rises around 23:00 UT.<\/p> <p>Titan\u2019s shadow transits Saturn between 17:36 and 21:55 UT.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wednesday 25 December<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Mercury reaches greatest western elongation (22.0\u00b0), shining at mag. \u20130.3 and visible above the southeast horizon in the dawn twilight.\u00a0<\/p> <p>Rhea\u2019s shadow transits Saturn between 16:34 and 20:17 UT.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sunday 29 December<\/strong><\/h2> <p>At 02:30 UT, Callisto sits 4 arcseconds north of Jupiter\u2019s north pole.<\/p> <p>From the UK, Dione\u2019s shadow transits Saturn from 19:17 UT until Saturn sets around 22:00 UT.<\/p> <p><strong><em>Share your observations and images with us, or send us your astronomy questions to <a href=\"mailto:contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What can you see in the night sky tonight? Find out what&#8217;s on view in our monthly stargazing guide. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":66115,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"8"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/12\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024.jpg",2119,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/12\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/12\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/12\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/12\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/12\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/12\/a-mars-occultation-and-jupiter-at-its-best-top-stargazing-highlights-for-december-2024-2048x1367.jpg",2048,1367,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"What can you see in the night sky tonight? Find out what's on view in our monthly stargazing guide.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/66114"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}