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December Stargazing: Top Celestial Highlights
- UKSN
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
December brings long, dark nights and some of the best stargazing opportunities of the year in the UK. Crisp air, early darkness, and clear skies make it the perfect month to enjoy planets, constellations, and winter meteor showers.
The Geminid Meteor Shower
The Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night of 13–14 December. This is one of the most reliable and spectacular showers of the year, producing up to 120 meteors per hour under dark skies.
Tips for viewing:
Look towards the constellation Gemini, high in the east after midnight.
Find a dark location away from streetlights.
Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust, and dress warmly.
Even if you miss the peak, Geminids can be seen for a few days before and after the main night.
Planets on Show
Jupiter dominates the early evening sky, visible in the southeast soon after sunset.
Saturn is low in the south in early evening and sets before midnight.
Venus shines brightly as the “Morning Star” in the southeast before dawn.
Mars remains a faint red dot in the pre-dawn sky.
Winter Constellations
Winter constellations are now at their best in December:
Orion stands tall in the southeast after sunset, with his iconic belt and the Orion Nebula below.
Taurus rises in the east with the bright Pleiades cluster nearby.
Auriga, home to the bright star Capella, and Perseus are easy to spot with binoculars.
December Stargazing Challenge: Track the Geminids and Orion
Objective: Spend one or two nights observing the Geminid meteor shower and practice spotting Orion’s bright features.
How to do it:
Choose a clear night close to 13–14 December for meteor viewing.
Lie back and scan the sky for meteors radiating from Gemini.
Take a small notebook and mark the positions of Orion’s belt, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and the Orion Nebula over consecutive nights.
Share your observations with friends or on social media using a hashtag like #UKSNGeminids.
Final Thought
December offers some of the best stargazing of the year. With long nights, bright meteors, and prominent winter constellations, it’s the perfect time to explore the skies. Wrap up warm, head outside, and enjoy the wonders above.
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