Lunar Phases  December 1  December 8  December 15  December 23  December 30

December 2005
Mars is still the brightest point high in the sky after dusk, but it's fading week by week as it falls farther behind Earth in its slower orbit around the Sun. About a fist-width above Mars in early evening, you'll notice Hamal and Sheratan, the two brightest stars of Aries. Lower left of Mars is the constellation Taurus, home of the Pleiades cluster and orange Aldebaran. Below Taurus, bright Orion is on the rise in the east-southeast.

4 Venus shines brightly to the right of the crescent Moon in twilight and for a short while after. Coincidentally, the Moon is at perigee, its closest to Earth for the month.

5 Look southwest early this evening for Venus far to the lower right of the crescent Moon.

7 Fomalhaut, the "autumn star," shines very far below the Moon early this evening.

9 Venus is at its greatest brilliancy.

10 Mars is the bright "star" left of the Moon this evening.

11 Bright Mars and the bright Moon appear closely paired tonight! Although they look close together, Mars is currently 245 times farther away.

12 Mercury is at greatest elongation, 21 degrees west of the Sun. Look for it above the southeastern horizon during dawn, far to the lower left of brighter Jupiter. Mars shines upper right of the Moon in early evening, and directly right of the Moon later at night.

13 The Geminid meteor shower should be at its best tonight, from about 10 p.m. until dawn on the 14th. Unfortunately the light of the nearly full Moon will hide all but the brightest meteors.

14 Capella is the bright star well left of the Moon this evening. Orange Aldebaran is not quite as far to the right of the Moon.

15 Full Moon, called the Long Night Moon or Moon Before Yule.

17 Look for Pollux and Castor to the upper left of the Moon tonight.

18 After the Moon rises in mid-evening, look for Saturn glowing to its lower right.

20 The Moon is at apogee.

21 The winter solstice occurs at 12:35 p.m. CST. This is when the Sun is farthest south for the year and begins its six-month return northward, defining the start of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.

26 Jupiter shines to the left of the Moon in early dawn.

27 Jupiter is above the Moon before and during dawn.

31 After the midnight New Year's celebrations, step out from the light and noise into the silent night. Look due south. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, sparkles there to greet you. Orion stands to its upper right. Procyon shines equally far to Sirius' upper left. Yellowish Saturn glows left of Procyon. Turn west and look for orange Mars, the brightest point on that side of the sky.