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The greatest celestial title this December is the historic conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn. A “conjunction” is when two or more astronomical bodies appear to be close together from our view of Earth. This conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn is monumental. The last time these two planets were this close was when Galileo was still alive!
Since last summer, the two great planets have been getting closer and closer to each other. This month, they can easily be seen in the low southwestern sky towards the end of the evening twilight, which sets about an hour later.
In early December, Jupiter and Saturn will be less than 2 degrees apart. It is about the width of two of your fingers held together at the length of an arm. Jupiter is the brighter of the two, lower left of Saturn. On December 21st, which coincides with the winter solstice, Jupiter and Saturn will be only a tenth of a degree apart! This is how close these planets have been to each other in the sky since 1623, when Galileo was still alive.
Another major event this December is the annual Geminid meteor shower, one of the best of the year. This will be an excellent year for the Geminids, as there will be no moonlight in the sky at night. The Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night of December 13-14. I will have a lot more on the Geminids next week.
Even without all of December’s special events, this is a great month for stargazing. Mars continues to fade after its big October show, but it’s still the brightest star-shaped object in the southern evening sky. You may still be able to spot some of its surface features with a moderately sized telescope.
The great horse Pegasus is riding high in the southwestern sky not too far from Mars. In the northern high skies is Cassiopeia the queen, resembling a large, bright “W.” Ursa Major is still very low in the north, but you will notice that it starts evenings higher and higher in the northeast sky, standing diagonally on its handle. The Little Dipper hangs by its handle above the Big Dipper, with Polaris, the North Star, hovering at the end of the handle.
Looking east, just after the evening twilight ends, you will be bombarded with all kinds of bright stars, and even more as you arrive later in the evening. You are witnessing the rise of winter constellations, the best of the year, in my opinion. Charioteer the chariot driver and Toro the bull lead the charge. Just above Taurus is the best star cluster in the sky, known as both the Pleiades and the Seven Little Sisters.
This is a young group of stars, 410 light-years away, that looks like a little Big Dipper. After 8pm, Orion the Hunter, the great centerpiece of the winter constellations, rises well above the eastern horizon. The three stars in a row equally spaced that make up the belt of the great hunter will surely jump on you.
Enjoy everything that’s happening in the celestial night theater this month. It’s more than worth it to regroup!
Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis / St. Paul and is the author of the book “Stars, a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations” published by Adventure Publications. Send questions to [email protected].
The Rochester Astronomy Club welcomes new members and organizes public star parties. Their website is rochesterskies.org.
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