December 2021 Sky
- Posted by OCastronomy
- On December 2, 2021
- 0 Comments
- Aldebaran, Antares, Beehive cluster M44, Castor, December solstice, Geminid Meteor Shower, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Pleiades, Pollux, Regulus, Saturn, Spica, Uranus, Venus
December 2021 Sky
| 1 | Moon near Spica at 4h UT (45° from Sun, morning sky). • Spica (Wikipedia) |
| 3 | Moon near Mars at 2h UT (18° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. 1.6. • Mars (Wikipedia) |
| 4 | New Moon at 7:43 UT. Start of lunation 1224. |
| 4 | Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 10:12 UT (distance 356,794 km; angular size 33.5′). 2.5 hours after New Moon. |
| 6 | Moon at southernmost declination (−26.33°) at 3h UT. |
| 7 | Moon near Venus at 2h UT (evening sky). Mag. −4.7. • Venus (Wikipedia) |
| 7 | Venus at its brightest at 16h UT. Mag. −4.7. |
| 8 | Moon near Saturn at 4h UT (evening sky). Mag. 0.7. • Saturn (Wikipedia) |
| 9 | Moon near Jupiter at 10h UT (evening sky). Mag. −2.2. • Jupiter (Wikipedia) |
| 10 | Moon shows maximum libration (10.4¡) for the year at 7h UT. • Libration (Wikipedia) |
| 11 | First Quarter Moon at 1:36 UT. |
| 14 | Geminid Meteor Shower peaks in a broad maximum centred at 7h UT. Produces bright, medium-speed meteors at its peak (up to 80 meteors/hour). Most reliable annual meteor shower. Easy to observe (radiant on sky map). Best after midnight. Some interference from moonlight. • Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO) • Geminids (NASA) • Geminids of the North (APOD) |
| 15 | Moon near Uranus at 8h UT (evening sky). Mag. 5.7. • Uranus (Wikipedia) |
| 16 | Moon near the Pleiades at 23h UT (evening sky). • The Pleiades (Wikipedia) |
| 17 | Moon near Aldebaran at 17h UT (evening sky). • Aldebaran (Wikipedia) |
| 18 | Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 2h UT (distance 406,320 km; angular size 29.4′). |
| 19 | Full Moon at 4:37 UT. |
| 19 | Moon near M35 star cluster at 15h UT (midnight sky). |
| 21 | Moon near Castor at 5h UT (morning sky). |
| 21 | Moon near Pollux at 10h UT (morning sky). |
| 21 | December solstice at 15:57 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) |
| 22 | Moon near Beehive cluster M44 at 13h UT (morning sky). • Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia) • M44: The Beehive Cluster (APOD) |
| 24 | Moon near Regulus at 9h UT (morning sky). • Regulus (Wikipedia) |
| 27 | Last Quarter Moon at 2:25 UT. |
| 27 | Mars 4.5° N of Antares at 20h UT (26° from Sun, morning sky). Mags. 1.6 and 1.0. The red planet pairs up with its red ‘rival’. |
| 28 | Moon near Spica at 13h UT (morning sky). • Spica (Wikipedia) |
| 29 | Mercury 4.2° S of Venus at 6h UT (17° from Sun, evening sky). Mags. −0.7 and −4.4. |
| December 2021 Sky All times Universal Time (UT). | |
