Monthly Night Sky Report: December 2022

        Introduction

    November offered Utahns very cold weather and few chances of clear skies for stargazers. I was, on occasion, able to view Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in the evening sky and the Mars, Aldebaran, and Betelguese triangle in the morning sky. I was also able to see the Belt of Venus in the west as the sunlight began to brighten the sky in the east. 

    December will offer many of the same sights as November, such as Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in the evening sky, and the joining of Mars, Aldebaran, and Betelguese in the sky. This month will bring the return of the Geminid Meteor Shower, one of the year's best meteor showers, offering a high number of meteors. The Ursid Meteor Shower will also peak this month, giving observers the chance to view two separate showers. Mars will reach opposition in early December, making it the best time for viewing the Red Planet. The Winter Solstice will occur near the end of the month, marking the longest period of darkness for those in the Northern Hemisphere. Typically, the temperatures drop even lower for Utahns in December, as well as an increase in stormy weather. Observers in Utah should take every chance they are given to view the night sky this month.

             

Mercury

      Mercury returns to the evening sky this month. Each passing day will find the innermost planet climbing higher in the sky. By the 21st, Mercury will reach its greatest eastern elongation, placing it as high above the horizon as it will get. A thin Crescent Moon will join Mercury in the sky on the 24th. 

  

Venus

    Venus will return to the evening sky this month, joining Mercury. The pair of inner planets can be seen close by in the sky on the 28th of this month. Venus will be much easier to spot in the twilight due to its high reflectivity. Observers may use this to their advantage in locating Mercury. A thin Crescent Moon will join Venus and Mercury on the 24th.  

    

Mars

    Mars will likely be the highlight this month for many observers. The Red Planet reaches opposition on the 8th, allowing the Sun to illuminate more surface detail for Earthlings to see. I suggest viewing the Red Planet several times this month, or even several times during the week to see the different features, such as the polar ice caps, Olympus Mons, and Valles Marineris. Observers in Utah will be in for an astronomical treat on the 7th. The nearly Full Moon will join Mars in the sky and will occult (pass in front of) Mars, blocking it from view. This will occur around 8:00 PM. If the weather permits, I suggest looking for Mars around 7:30 to observe this rare phenomenon. Mars will begin to reappear around 8:30. 

Jupiter

Saturn

    Saturn is moving closer to the Sun from our Earthly vantage point and will sink below the horizon earlier with each passing day. Due to this, I think observers should view Saturn early in the evening while waiting for Mars to climb higher in the sky, escaping as much of the interference caused by our atmosphere as possible. The Moon will join Saturn in the sky on the 26th.

 

   Jupiter is another great target to view while waiting for Mars to climb higher in the sky. I recommend switching between Mars and Jupiter since the surface features will change frequently throughout the night, especially on Jupiter. The largest planet in the solar system completes one axial rotation in under 10 hours, while the Earth takes nearly 24 hours. The Moon will join Jupiter on the 1st and again on the 29th.  

   

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars.  Uranus can be found in Aries which is between Jupiter and Mars. The nearly Full Moon will pass close by on the 5th.

   

    Neptune can be found between Jupiter and Saturn but will be much closer to Jupiter in the night sky. The Moon can be found close by on the 28th.

Meteor Shower 

   December offers the opportunity to view two separate meteor showers! The first is the Geminid Meteor Shower which is typically one of the best showers of the year. Unfortunately, this shower peaks on the 14th which coincides with the Last Quarter Moon. This will wash out most of the meteors, but some bright fireballs may still be seen. Under a Moon-free sky, this shower offers up to 150 meteors per hour. I would recommend viewing a few days after the peak date for the chance to see some of the dim meteors from this shower.

    The second meteor shower is known as the Ursids. This shower peaks on the 23rd, which coincides with the New Moon. Observers can expect to see around 10 meteors per hour. Occasionally this shower has outbursts that produce many more meteors, however, such an occurrence is not expected this year. 

Spot Me....🕵️  

    This post will highlight the Messier objects belonging to Gemini and Orion. Gemini is the focal point for the Geminid Meteor Shower this year. This creates a great opportunity to view some DSOs while looking for meteors! The image below shows what the night sky looks like while facing east around 9:00 PM in Utah. Observers should be able to see the "Red Star Triangle" made up of Mars, Aldebaran, and Betelguese. The "red Star Triangle" will change nightly as Mars moves against the background stars.

Night sky facing East around 9:00 PM in Utah. Notice the "Red Star Triangle."

    The image below shows the same region of the sky with constellation lines and labels to aid in identifying the constellations.

Night sky facing East around 9:00 PM in Utah with constellation lines and labels.

     The only Messier object in Gemini is M35 (aka Shoe-Buckle Cluster, NGC 2168) which is an open star cluster. See the image below for the location of M35.

Location of M35 in Gemini.

    Orion, one of the easiest constellations to identify in the night sky, has three Messier objects, two of which are located in the sword, just below Orion's Belt. M42 (aka Great Orion Nebula, Orion Nebula, NGC 1976) can be seen with the unaided eye at a dark sky location. M43 (aka De Mairan's Nebula, NGC 1982) can be found inside the Orion Nebula. See the image below for the location of M42 and M43. 

Location of M42 and M43 in Orion

    The final Messier object, M78 (aka Casper the Friendly Ghost Nebula, NGC 2068) can be found on the opposite side of Orion's Belt from M42 and M43. See the image below for the location of M78.

Location of M78 in Orion.

    The images below show the location of the four Messier objects discussed in this post, M35, M42, M43, and M78. Notice that M42 and M43 are grouped together.

Location of the Messier objects in Gemini and Orion.

Location of the Messier objects in Gemini and Orion with constellation lines and labels.

    The images in the "Spot Me..." section are provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software. Here is an updated file of the Messier Catalog. Check back around the 15th of December for more Messier objects!

Monthly Breakdown

December 01: Moon passes within 3° of Neptune 
December 01: Moon passes within 3° of Jupiter
December 05: Moon passes within 1° of Uranus
December 07: Moon occults Mars
December 07: Full Moon 🌕 
December 08: Mars reaches opposition 
December 14: Geminid Meteor Shower peaks
December 16: Last Quarter Moon🌗
December 21: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation
December 21: Winter solstice 
December 23: New Moon 🌑
December 23: Ursid Meteor Shower peaks 
December 24: Moon passes within 3° of Venus
December 24: Moon passes within 4° of Mercury
December 26: Moon passes within 4° of Saturn
December 28: Moon passes within 3° of Neptune
December 29: Moon passes within 2° of Venus
December 29: Moon passes within 3° of Jupiter 
December 30: First Quarter Moon 🌓 

 

       

    Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.

    

Midmonth Check-In: November 2022 with Taurus and Auriga

     

Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    

    For Utahns, the month of November has started off cold, rainy, and snowy. Unfortunately, this weather prohibited the last Total Lunar Eclipse until 2025, to be viewed from the mountainous regions of Utah. Personally, I was able to view the nearly Full Moon through the clouds a couple of days before the eclipse, as well as the Red Triangle, made up of Mars, Aldebaran, and Betelgeuse. This triangle has been one of my favorite objects to view in the morning sky while at work before sunrise. 

    Observers will still have the opportunity to view the Orionid Meteor Shower which peaks on the 17th. For those fortunate enough to have clear skies and willing to brave the cold temperatures, the Messier objects highlighted so far are still visible in the night sky. Many other DSOs are also available to be viewed, however, they will require a telescope. Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars will also be excellent targets on cold winter nights.   

Messier Targets 🔭

    

    The Messier Catalog contains 110 objects to view throughout the year. Most of these objects require a telescope or a pair of binoculars. As with all DSOs, observing from a location with minimal light pollution will enhance your views. If using a telescope, I recommend using a low-power eyepiece to help find the object, then increase the power to bring out more detail. So far, I have highlighted the Messier objects belonging to Hercules, Draco, Lyra, Serpens, Scorpius, Scutum, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Cygnus, Vulpecula, Aquarius, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Capricornus, Cetus, Pegasus, Perseus, Triangulum, and Pisces. 

    This post will highlight the Messier objects belonging to Auriga and Taurus. The Stellarium image below shows what the night sky looks like during a mid to late November evening in Utah. This image shows the night sky as an observer faces east after sunset. 

 

November night sky as an observer faces east after sunset.

    Notice the three red stars that form a triangle in the center of the image. The rightmost star is Aldebaran. The leftmost "star" is actually Mars, and the lower star is Betelgeuse. The image below is the same as above only with constellation labels and lines to help identify the constellations in this region of the sky.

Looking east after sunset with constellation lines and labels.

    The first Messier object in this post is actually the first object on Messier's list, M1. This object is a supernova remnant which is known as the Crab Nebula and NGC 1952. Mars is in a great position in the sky to help observers find M1. After locating Mars in the evening sky, drop down slightly to find the Crab Nebula. Personally, I have never viewed this object through my telescope, but it is one of the targets near the top of my list of things to view. See the image below for the location of M1. 

    

    

Location of M1 in Taurus the Bull.

    The next object in Taurus is M45 (aka Pleiades, Seven Sisters, Subaru) is an open cluster of young stars. The Pleiades are visible with the unaided eye. Personally, I can count six stars with my eyes, but other observers may be able to see a different amount, depending on their eyesight. The Pleiades are best viewed through a pair of binoculars or a low-power eyepiece in a telescope. See the image below for the location of M45. 

Location of M45 in Taurus the Bull.

    The next three objects are located in Auriga, the constellation to the left of Taurus in the images provided in this post. The first object, M36 (aka Pinwheel Cluster, NGC 1960) is an open cluster like M45. See the image below for the location of M36.

Location of M36 in Auriga.

    The next object, M37 (aka NGC 2099) another open cluster, is located just below M36 in Auriga. As with most Messier objects, I recommend beginning with a low-power eyepiece to locate the object before bumping up the power to bring out more detail. See the image below for the location of M37.

Location of M37 in Auriga.

    The final object for this post, M38 (aka Starfish Cluster, NGC 1912) is also an open cluster. This object can be found just above M36 in Auriga. See the image below for the location of M38.

Location of M38 in Auriga.

    The images below can be used to find the location of the Messier objects covered in this post. 

Messier objects that are located in Taurus and Auriga.

Messier objects that are located in Taurus and Auriga with constellation lines and labels.

    The December Monthly Night Sky Report will continue to highlight the Messier objects which are best viewed during the winter months. All of the above images were provided by Stellarium. My updated Messier list can be found here. 

     

Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!