What you’ll see in the night sky throughout December
Meteor shower displays and good views of Venus, Saturn and Jupiter this month
IN the winter, the northern hemisphere of Earth is tilted away from the Sun (which is why it is colder) and towards the Moon (so the Moon is highest in the sky and brighter).
The famous Geminid meteor shower is definitely worth a look on the nights of December 13 and 14 in the south around midnight, originating above the constellation of Orion.
The Moon is only a thin crescent on these nights so won’t disrupt viewing.
Often these meteors are bright and relatively slow moving across the sky and we can expect to see perhaps one every few minutes if we are lucky.
Have a look at Betelgeuse, the reddish star in the top left shoulder of Orion.
This star is a red giant 650 light years from Earth that dimmed suddenly early this year, making some astronomers believe it was about to explode (go supernova).
If it did it would suddenly be visible day and night before fading away and it is certainly tipped as one of the most likely nearby stars to explode.
However, very recent data (February 2020) shows that changes have slowed and the dimming may be caused by a massive release of dust into the
star’s atmosphere.
Regarding planets, Venus will be easy to spot just below a crescent Moon in the early morning sky on December 12.
Both Saturn and Jupiter will be
close to and just to the right of the Moon early evening on December 17.
Find out more about astronomy via Newbury Astronomical Society, which hosts monthly meetings for both beginners and experienced astronomers.
See www.newburyastro.org.uk Questions: tonyhersh@ hotmail.com