December 2015 Sky
- Posted by OCastronomy
- On December 1, 2015
- 0 Comments
- Aldebaran, Beehive cluster, Geminid Meteor Shower, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Pleiades, Regulus, Spica, Venus, Winter Solstice
December 2015 Sky
| 2 | Moon near Regulus (100° from Sun, morning sky) at 11h UT. |
| 3 | Last Quarter Moon at 7:40 UT. |
| 4 | Moon near Jupiter (morning sky) at 4h UT. Mag. -2.0. |
| 5 | Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 15h UT (distance 404,800 km; angular size 29.5′). |
| 6 | Moon very near Mars (60° from Sun, morning sky) at 0h UT. Mag. +1.5. Occultation visible from west central Africa. • Occultation of Mars (IOTA) |
| 6 | Moon near Spica (50° from Sun, morning sky) at 23h UT. |
| 7 | Moon very near Venus (42° from Sun, morning sky) at 15h UT. Mag. -4.2. Occultation visible from Alaska. • Occultation of Venus (IOTA) • Crescent Moon and Venus (APOD) |
| 11 | New Moon at 10:29 UT. Start of lunation 1150. • Lunation Number (Wikipedia) |
| 14 | Geminid Meteor Shower peaks at 18h UT. Major activity lasts almost 24 hours around peak time. Produces bright, medium-speed meteors at its peak (up to 80 meteors/hour). Most reliable meteor shower. Easy to observe (radiant shown on sky map). Best seen after midnight. • Observing the Geminids (Gary Kronk) • Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO) |
| 18 | First Quarter Moon at 15:14 UT. |
| 21 | Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 9h UT (368,417 km; angular size 32.4′). |
| 22 | December solstice at 4:48 UT. The time when the Sun reaches the point farthest south of the celestial equator marking the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. • December Solstice (Wikipedia) |
| 23 | Moon near the Pleiades (evening sky) at 2h UT. • The Pleiades (Wikipedia) |
| 23 | Moon very near Aldebaran (evening sky) at 18h UT. Occultation visible from Europe and north Asia. • Occultation of Aldebaran (IOTA) |
| 23 | Mars 3.5° NNE of Spica (68° from Sun, morning sky) at 23h UT. Mags. +1.4 and +1.0. |
| 25 | Full Moon at 11:11 UT. • Full Moon Names (Wikipedia) |
| 28 | Moon near Beehive cluster (morning sky) at 1h UT. • Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia) • M44: The Beehive Cluster (APOD) |
| 29 | Mercury at greatest elongation east (20° from Sun, evening sky) at 3h UT. Mag. -0.5. |
| 29 | Moon near Regulus (127° from Sun, morning sky) at 21h UT. |
| 31 | Moon near Jupiter (106° from Sun, morning sky) at 19h UT. Mag. -2.2. |
| December 2015 Sky All times Universal Time (UT). USA Eastern Standard Time = UT – 5 hours. | |
