Dec 1, 2023, 05:51 PM IST
December's sky will feature numerous celestial events from meteor shower peaks to the Northern winter solstice. Here are all the astronomical events lined up in December.
The moon will complete three-quarters of its orbit around Earth, measured from the previous new moon, on Tuesday (Dec 5) at 12:49 am EST (05:49 GMT).
The moon will reach its new phase on Tuesday (Dec 12) at 6:32 pm EST (23:32 GMT). While new, the moon is travelling between Earth and the sun.
One of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, Geminids are active from Nov 19 to Dec 24 annually. They will gradually reach peak on Thursday (Dec 14).
On Dec 15, the young crescent moon will shine low in the southwestern sky after sunset. It will feature Earthshine, also known as Ashen Glow and "the old moon in the new moon's arms".
Winter in the Northern Hemisphere will officially commence in the Americas on Thursday (Dec 21) at 10:27 pm EST or 03:27 GMT on Friday (Dec 22).
The annual Ursids meteor shower active from Dec 13 to 24. The short-duration shower will peak with 5 to 10 meteors per hour on Friday (Dec 22) in the Americas.
The December full moon will occur at 7:33 pm EST on Tuesday (Dec 26). It is traditionally also known as the Oak Moon, Cold Moon, and Long Nights Moon.