THE PLANETS

Saturn is low in the evening twilight early in December. Look for the thin crescent Moon nearby on 9 December. With the ringed planet’s exit, Mars is prominent in the northwest, setting around midnight. Neptune and Uranus are also visible, departing in the early morning. The action then switches to brilliant Venus rising in the predawn, followed by Mercury well down in the dawn glow. Jupiter returns to the morning, passing Mercury on 22 December when they will be only 0.8° apart.