December 2025
After Sunset
As the sky darkens after sunset, look high in the south for Saturn. If you're not sure whether you've found it, look to see if it's twinkling. Stars twinkle, planets usually don't.
Saturn’s rings are visible with a small telescope, but they might not look quite as impressive as you might expect, appearing as a thin bright line across the planet's face. Twice during the giant planet's 30-year orbit around the Sun, Saturn and Earth line up just so that we see the rings edge-on. The last time that happened was this past March, but unfortunately, Saturn was up in the daytime so hardly anyone could see it happen. Last month, the rings were almost but not quite perfectly edge-on. Over the next many months, the angle will gradually improve. It will be another fifteen years before the rings vanish again.
For much of the year, we use the stars of the Big Dipper to help us find Polaris, the North Star. However, the Big Dipper is harder to find in the autumn. It appears very low to the northern horizon after sunset. Some of its stars even set below the horizon from our latitude.
Another group of stars can help us find our way. Look for a group of five stars known as Cassiopeia the Queen. When the Big Dipper is low to the horizon, Cassiopeia is high in the north. The central peak of this constellation’s W-shape also points you in the direction of Polaris.
Polaris is not a particularly bright star, but it does remain fixed in the sky throughout the night and throughout the year. When you face the North Star, you’re facing due north. Polaris is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.
The Dippers are not officially constellations; they’re what astronomers sometimes call asterisms. They’re familiar names for these patterns of stars, especially used by observers in the United States, but they’re not among the 88 constellations recognized by astronomers worldwide. Ursa Minor the Little Bear and Ursa Major the Great Bear are the official constellations here, but you’ll need dark skies to see their fainter stars.
Nearly overhead is the asterism called the Great Square of Pegasus. Three of these four stars are part of autumn constellation Pegasus the Flying Horse. The remaining star marks the head of Andromeda the Princess.
Later in the evening, you can find the bright stars of the winter evening sky beginning to rise. The most famous and easily found winter constellation is Orion the Hunter. Look for the three stars in a straight line that mark his belt, the two stars that mark his shoulders, and the two stars of his feet. Betelgeuse, one of this shoulder stars, is distinctly red in color. Learn to find Orion, and he can direct you to many other sights of the winter sky. This part of the sky contains some of the brightest stars throughout the year.
Follow the belt down and to the left for the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, in Canis Major the Big Dog. Follow the belt stars up and to the right to find orange star Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the Bull. Look just past Aldebaran for a grouping of stars called M-45, or the Pleiades Star Cluster.
High above the head of Orion is the bright star Capella, part of Auriga the Charioteer. Capella represents a goat that Auriga is carrying. Look closely for three fainter stars in a small triangle shape: those are the ‘kids’.
Draw a line from Orion’s foot Rigel, through his belt, on towards Betelgeuse, and keep on going. You’ll run into Gemini the Twins, with its two bright stars Castor and Pollux, representing the two brothers from ancient mythology.
Mighty Jupiter rises over the east-northeast horizon about 7:30 pm early in the month. It will rise shortly after sunset as January begins. Wait an hour or two after the planet rises over local trees and buildings that may block your view. The giant planet will be very bright. In January it reaches opposition, making its closest approach to Earth in the past year.
Whenever Jupiter is visible it’s always a great target for backyard telescopes. You might see the the planet's cloud bands, and up to four of its largest moons!
From Dark Skies
Bright outdoor lighting can make it hard to see all but the brightest stars. On a clear moonless night, find a dark spot far away from city lights, give your eyes time to adjust to the dark, and look for even more celestial sights. You can begin by looking for the fainter stars of this season’s constellations. Pegasus, Andromeda, Perseus and many other fainter constellations all become easier to explore.
Late autumn evenings are great for spotting the Milky Way coursing from the eastern to western horizon, high overhead through Cassiopeia. This hazy band of light is the bulk of our disc-shaped galaxy, as we see it from within.
Near Andromeda, look for M-31, the Andromeda Galaxy. This massive spiral galaxy is the most distant object visible to the unaided eye, but to find it it requires crisp, dark skies and a little patience. Binoculars or a small telescope can improve the view, but don’t expect to see more than a faint, fuzzy, oval blob. If you don’t feel exactly awestruck at the sight, just remind yourself you’re looking at the collected light of possibly one trillion stars, all at a distance of 2 million light years away.
Early Morning
Throughout the year, the constellations rise and set just a little bit earlier every day. You won’t see much difference from night to night, but you will over the course of weeks or months. What we see in today’s pre-dawn sky is a preview of the early evening sky in later months. Go out before dawn this month for a look ahead at the spring night sky.
In the hours before dawn, Saturn has already set. Winter constellations Orion, Taurus, and Canis Major are setting in the west. High in the south is spring constellation Leo the Lion.
Remember how the Big Dipper was too low to easily find in the early evening? Now it’s high in the north. But can you find Cassiopeia?
From dark skies, look to the region between Gemini and Leo. This is the very faint constellation of Cancer the Crab, shaped like an upside-down letter Y. Not far from the center of the Y is a cluster of stars called the Beehive, or M-44. Look through binoculars to see just some of the thousand stars that make up this open star cluster over 600 light years away.
Desktop planetarium software like the free, open-source Stellarium can show you more precisely where night sky objects will be on any date and time, and help you plan your observing.
Geminid Meteor Shower
This year the Geminid Meteor Shower peaks on the morning of December 14th. Most meteor showers are best before dawn, but the Geminids are best a little earlier, peaking around 2:00 am. You might be able to see some late evening meteors too. No telescopes necessary! Bundle up warm, grab a lawn chair, a blanket, and a hot beverage – and bring a friend. Relax, gaze upwards, and most importantly, be patient.
The peak rate is about 150 meteors per hour, under skies far from city lights. That sounds like a lot, but it’s only about 2 per minute on average for the entire sky, under the darkest, clearest conditions, at the peak of the shower. Fortunately the Moon will be a thin crescent rising before the Sun and shouldn't contribute much extra light that would hide fainter meteors.
The Geminids get their name from the constellation Gemini. Geminid meteors may appear anywhere in the sky, but they all will appear to be coming from the direction of Gemini.
December 2025
After Sunset
As the sky darkens after sunset, look high in the south for Saturn. If you're not sure whether you've found it, look to see if it's twinkling. Stars twinkle, planets usually don't.
Saturn’s rings are visible with a small telescope, but they might not look quite as impressive as you might expect, appearing as a thin bright line across the planet's face. Twice during the giant planet's 30-year orbit around the Sun, Saturn and Earth line up just so that we see the rings edge-on. The last time that happened was this past March, but unfortunately, Saturn was up in the daytime so hardly anyone could see it happen. Last month, the rings were almost but not quite perfectly edge-on. Over the next many months, the angle will gradually improve. It will be another fifteen years before the rings vanish again.
For much of the year, we use the stars of the Big Dipper to help us find Polaris, the North Star. However, the Big Dipper is harder to find in the autumn. It appears very low to the northern horizon after sunset. Some of its stars even set below the horizon from our latitude.
Another group of stars can help us find our way. Look for a group of five stars known as Cassiopeia the Queen. When the Big Dipper is low to the horizon, Cassiopeia is high in the north. The central peak of this constellation’s W-shape also points you in the direction of Polaris.
Polaris is not a particularly bright star, but it does remain fixed in the sky throughout the night and throughout the year. When you face the North Star, you’re facing due north. Polaris is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.
The Dippers are not officially constellations; they’re what astronomers sometimes call asterisms. They’re familiar names for these patterns of stars, especially used by observers in the United States, but they’re not among the 88 constellations recognized by astronomers worldwide. Ursa Minor the Little Bear and Ursa Major the Great Bear are the official constellations here, but you’ll need dark skies to see their fainter stars.
Nearly overhead is the asterism called the Great Square of Pegasus. Three of these four stars are part of autumn constellation Pegasus the Flying Horse. The remaining star marks the head of Andromeda the Princess.
Later in the evening, you can find the bright stars of the winter evening sky beginning to rise. The most famous and easily found winter constellation is Orion the Hunter. Look for the three stars in a straight line that mark his belt, the two stars that mark his shoulders, and the two stars of his feet. Betelgeuse, one of this shoulder stars, is distinctly red in color. Learn to find Orion, and he can direct you to many other sights of the winter sky. This part of the sky contains some of the brightest stars throughout the year.
Follow the belt down and to the left for the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, in Canis Major the Big Dog. Follow the belt stars up and to the right to find orange star Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the Bull. Look just past Aldebaran for a grouping of stars called M-45, or the Pleiades Star Cluster.
High above the head of Orion is the bright star Capella, part of Auriga the Charioteer. Capella represents a goat that Auriga is carrying. Look closely for three fainter stars in a small triangle shape: those are the ‘kids’.
Draw a line from Orion’s foot Rigel, through his belt, on towards Betelgeuse, and keep on going. You’ll run into Gemini the Twins, with its two bright stars Castor and Pollux, representing the two brothers from ancient mythology.
Mighty Jupiter rises over the east-northeast horizon about 7:30 pm early in the month. It will rise shortly after sunset as January begins. Wait an hour or two after the planet rises over local trees and buildings that may block your view. The giant planet will be very bright. In January it reaches opposition, making its closest approach to Earth in the past year.
Whenever Jupiter is visible it’s always a great target for backyard telescopes. You might see the the planet's cloud bands, and up to four of its largest moons!
From Dark Skies
Bright outdoor lighting can make it hard to see all but the brightest stars. On a clear moonless night, find a dark spot far away from city lights, give your eyes time to adjust to the dark, and look for even more celestial sights. You can begin by looking for the fainter stars of this season’s constellations. Pegasus, Andromeda, Perseus and many other fainter constellations all become easier to explore.
Late autumn evenings are great for spotting the Milky Way coursing from the eastern to western horizon, high overhead through Cassiopeia. This hazy band of light is the bulk of our disc-shaped galaxy, as we see it from within.
Near Andromeda, look for M-31, the Andromeda Galaxy. This massive spiral galaxy is the most distant object visible to the unaided eye, but to find it it requires crisp, dark skies and a little patience. Binoculars or a small telescope can improve the view, but don’t expect to see more than a faint, fuzzy, oval blob. If you don’t feel exactly awestruck at the sight, just remind yourself you’re looking at the collected light of possibly one trillion stars, all at a distance of 2 million light years away.
Early Morning
Throughout the year, the constellations rise and set just a little bit earlier every day. You won’t see much difference from night to night, but you will over the course of weeks or months. What we see in today’s pre-dawn sky is a preview of the early evening sky in later months. Go out before dawn this month for a look ahead at the spring night sky.
In the hours before dawn, Saturn has already set. Winter constellations Orion, Taurus, and Canis Major are setting in the west. High in the south is spring constellation Leo the Lion.
Remember how the Big Dipper was too low to easily find in the early evening? Now it’s high in the north. But can you find Cassiopeia?
From dark skies, look to the region between Gemini and Leo. This is the very faint constellation of Cancer the Crab, shaped like an upside-down letter Y. Not far from the center of the Y is a cluster of stars called the Beehive, or M-44. Look through binoculars to see just some of the thousand stars that make up this open star cluster over 600 light years away.
Desktop planetarium software like the free, open-source Stellarium can show you more precisely where night sky objects will be on any date and time, and help you plan your observing.
Geminid Meteor Shower
This year the Geminid Meteor Shower peaks on the morning of December 14th. Most meteor showers are best before dawn, but the Geminids are best a little earlier, peaking around 2:00 am. You might be able to see some late evening meteors too. No telescopes necessary! Bundle up warm, grab a lawn chair, a blanket, and a hot beverage – and bring a friend. Relax, gaze upwards, and most importantly, be patient.
The peak rate is about 150 meteors per hour, under skies far from city lights. That sounds like a lot, but it’s only about 2 per minute on average for the entire sky, under the darkest, clearest conditions, at the peak of the shower. Fortunately the Moon will be a thin crescent rising before the Sun and shouldn't contribute much extra light that would hide fainter meteors.
The Geminids get their name from the constellation Gemini. Geminid meteors may appear anywhere in the sky, but they all will appear to be coming from the direction of Gemini.