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Naked-eye planets and Moon in December
from:    ABRAMS  SkyWatchersDiary/Diary

Each month, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University makes the Skywatcher's Diary available over the Internet.

Venus and Mars are still in first and second place in order of brilliance among all "stars" visible at dusk. Venus in early December attains its highest position at dusk and greatest brilliance for this apparition (which began last spring), and sets nearly 3 hours after sunset. Venus can even be spotted in daylight if you know where to look. Daytime sightings of Venus are easiest just before sunset, when the planet is found to the upper left of the Sun, by 43 degrees on Dec. 1, shrinking to 20 degrees by Dec. 31. Even binoculars reveal Venus is a crescent now, growing in apparent diameter but becoming thinner as the planet begins to swing between Earth and Sun. On Dec. 1 the crescent Venus appears about one-third full; on the 31st, only 6 percent full. After this month, you'll have to wait more than one and a half years, until July 2007, for a repeat performance. That's because Venus in its 225-day orbit overtakes the Earth about every 584 days, or just over 19 months. Mars is in E to ESE at dusk, climbing high as month progresses. In December, Mars fades a full magnitude as Earth leaves it behind. Of magnitude –0.6 at month's end, Mars still ranks after only Venus in brilliance in the early evening sky (until the "Dog Star" Sirius rises in ESE below Orion later in evening).

Other planets: Rising in evening, Saturn first appears in ENE 4-1/2 hours after sunset on Dec. 1, backing to 2-1/4 hours after on Dec. 31. Look 19 to 18 degrees below Pollux, the brighter and lower of the Gemini Twins. For the next several months, whenever Saturn is high in the sky, binoculars will show the Beehive star cluster in the same field.

Three bright planets at dawn: Jupiter is the brightest morning "star," climbing slowly in SE to SSE at dawn in December. Note the first-magnitude star Spica in Virgo 14 to 20 degrees to Jupiter's upper right. Saturn is high in WSW at dawn in early December and moves lower, into the west. Mercury brightens quickly the first week and is in fine view nearly all month. Look low in ESE to SE in twilight, to the lower left of Jupiter.

There are two New Moons this month, on Dec. 1 and 30, and so a complete cycle of lunar phases, from young crescent to Full to old crescent, may be observed in December. Moon near planets: Venus on evening of Dec. 4, Mars on evening of Dec. 11, Saturn on night of Dec. 18-19, Jupiter on mornings of Dec. 26, and 27, Mercury on morning of Dec. 29, and Venus on evening of Jan. 1.

Following is a day-by-day guide to celestial happenings during December. For drawings of many of these events, and an evening sky map, request a free sample copy of the Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Sample Sky Calendar, Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823. Or you can subscribe for $11 per year.

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