December 2022 Sky
- Posted by OCastronomy
- On December 1, 2022
- 0 Comments
- Aldebaran, Antares, Beehive cluster M44, Castor, Geminid Meteor Shower, Jupiter, M35 cluster, Mars, Mercury, Pleiades, Pollux, Regulus, Saturn, Spica, Uranus, Venus
December 2022 Sky
| 1 | Mars nearest to Earth at 2h UT. 81.45 million km. |
| 2 | Moon near Jupiter at 4h UT (evening sky). Mag. −2.6. • Jupiter (Wikipedia) |
| 5 | Moon near Uranus at 18h UT (evening sky). Mag. 5.7. Occultation visible from western Europe, the Middle East, and north Asia. • Occultation of Uranus (IOTA) |
| 6 | Moon near the Pleiades at 23h UT (evening sky). • The Pleiades (Wikipedia) |
| 7 | Moon near Aldebaran at 16h UT (midnight sky). • Aldebaran (Wikipedia) |
| 8 | Full Moon at 4:09 UT. |
| 8 | Moon near Mars at 5h UT (midnight sky). Mag. −1.9. Occultation visible from USA, Canada, Greenland and western Europe. • Mars (Wikipedia) |
| 8 | Mars at Opposition at 6h UT. Mag. −1.9. |
| 9 | Moon near M35 star cluster at 13h UT (morning sky). • Messier 35 (Wikipedia) |
| 11 | Moon near Castor at 2h UT (morning sky). |
| 11 | Moon near Pollux at 8h UT (morning sky). |
| 12 | Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 0h UT (distance 405,869km; angular size 29.4′). |
| 12 | Moon near Beehive cluster M44 at 12h UT (morning sky). • Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia) • M44: The Beehive Cluster (APOD) |
| 13 | Venus at southernmost declination (−24.2°) at 2h UT. |
| 14 | Moon near Regulus at 10h UT (morning sky). • Regulus (Wikipedia) |
| 14 | Geminid Meteor Shower peaks in a broad maximum centred at 13h UT. Produces bright, medium-speed meteors at its peak (up to 80 meteors/hour). Most reliable meteor shower. Moonlight will interfere once the Moon rises. • Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO) • Geminids (NASA) • Geminids of the North (APOD) |
| 16 | Last Quarter Moon at 8:58 UT. |
| 18 | Moon near Spica at 18h UT (morning sky). • Spica (Wikipedia) |
| 21 | Mercury at greatest elongation east at 15h UT (20° from Sun, evening sky). Mag. −0.5. |
| 21 | December solstice at 21:48 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) |
| 22 | Moon near Antares at 1h UT (morning sky). |
| 23 | New Moon at 10:17 UT. Start of lunation 1237. |
| 24 | Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 8:34 UT (distance 358,270km; angular size 33.4′). |
| 24 | Moon, Mercury and Venus within a circle of diameter 4.9° at 16h UT (about 18° from Sun, evening sky). Mags. −0.3 and −3.9. |
| 26 | Moon near Saturn at 19h UT (evening sky). Mag. 0.8. • Saturn (Wikipedia) |
| 29 | Mercury 1.4° N of Venus at 8h UT (evening sky). Mags. 0.4 and −3.9. |
| 29 | Moon near Jupiter at 13h UT (evening sky). Mag. −2.4. • Jupiter (Wikipedia) |
| 30 | First Quarter Moon at 1:21 UT. |
| All times Universal Time (UT). | |
