What constellations can be seen in December. Starry sky in December
Selected astronomical events of the month (UTC):
December 3— Moon (F = 0.16-) near Spica and Venus,
5th of December— Moon (Ф= 0.02-) near Mercury,
December 6— Moon (F = 0.01-) near Jupiter,
December 7— Mercury in standing with the transition from retrograde motion to direct motion,
December 7- new moon,
December 7— Mars passes two arc minutes (!) north of Neptune,
December 7— long-period variable star R Vulpeculae near maximum brightness (7m),
December 8— maximum action of the Monocerotide meteor shower (ZHR = 2) from the constellation Monoceros,
December 8— asteroid (40) Harmony (9.4m) in opposition to the Sun,
9th December— Moon coverage (Ф = 0.04+) of Saturn with visibility in Siberia,
December 9 - The Moon (Ф = 0.04+) passes the point of maximum declination south of the celestial equator,
December 10— coverage for 10 seconds by the asteroid Caprera (479) of the star HIP33753 (7.7m)
from the constellation Gemini when visible in the European part of Russia,
December 10— Moon (Ф= 0.11+) in the descending node of its orbit,
12 December— The Moon (Ф = 0.23+) at the apogee of its orbit at a distance of 405175 km from the center of the Earth,
December 13th— maximum action of the Geminids meteor shower (ZHR= 120) from the constellation Gemini,
December 14— Moon (Ф= 0.42+) near Neptune,
December 15— Moon (Ф= 0.45+) near Mars,
December 15— Moon in first quarter phase,
December 15— Mercury reaches its maximum morning (western) elongation of 21.5 degrees,
December 16— covering for 4 seconds by the Alphaterna asteroid (1191) the star HIP32535 (7.5m) from the constellation Monoceros with visibility in the European part of Russia,
December 18— Moon (Ф= 0.75+) near Uranus, December 18 — asteroid (433) Eros (9.4m) in opposition to the Sun,
21 December— Moon (Ф= 0.97+) near Aldebaran,
21 December— Mercury passes one degree north of Jupiter,
21 December- winter solstice,
December 22- full moon,
December 22— maximum action of the Ursid meteor shower (ZHR = 10) from the constellation Ursa Minor,
December 23— The Moon (Ф = 0.99-) passes the point of maximum declination north of the celestial equator,
December 23— Jupiter passes 5 degrees north of Antares,
December 23— lunar coverage (Ф = 0.97-) of the star Zeta Gemini (4.0m) with visibility in the northern half of the country,
December 24— The Moon (Ф = 0.96-) at the perigee of its orbit at a distance of 361060 km from the center of the Earth,
December 24— Moon (Ф = 0.96-) in the ascending node of its orbit,
December 26- Moon (F = 0.8-) near Regulus,
27th of December— long-period variable star S Ursa Major near maximum brightness (7m),
December 29th— Moon in last quarter phase,
December 29th— asteroid (6) Hebe (8.5m) in opposition to the Sun.
Sun until December 18, it moves through the constellation Ophiuchus, and then moves to the constellation Sagittarius. The declination of the central star reaches its minimum by December 21 at 16:28 universal time (23.5 degrees south of the celestial equator), so the length of the day in the northern hemisphere of the Earth is minimal. At the beginning of the month it is 7 hours 23 minutes, on December 22 it is 6 hours 56 minutes, and by the end of the described period it increases to 7 hours 02 minutes. The above data on the length of the day is correct for cities at Moscow latitudes, where the midday altitude of the Sun remains at 10 degrees for almost the entire month. You can observe the central luminary all day, but you need to remember that a visual study of the Sun through a telescope or other optical instruments must (!!) be carried out using a solar filter. (recommendations for observing the Sun are available in the Nebosvod magazine http://astronet.ru/db/msg/1222232).
Moon will begin to move across the winter sky in the constellation Leo near the border with the constellation Virgo at a phase of 0.4-. In the constellation Virgo, the aging month will remain until December 4, reducing the phase to 0.1-. On December 3, the lunar crescent will pass north of Spica and Venus, and on December 4 it will move into the constellation Libra. On December 5, the old month (Ф = 0.02-) will pass north of Mercury, and on December 6, at a phase of 0.01-, it will approach Jupiter already in the constellation Scorpio. On the same day, the Moon will move into the constellation Ophiuchus and will enter the new moon phase here on December 7, emerging into the evening sky. Gradually increasing the phase, the new moon will be observed low above the horizon against the background of the evening dawn. On December 8, a thin lunar crescent at a phase of 0.1+ will enter the domain of the constellation Sagittarius, where it will cover Saturn with visibility in Siberia on December 9 at a phase of 0.04+ (near the maximum declination south of the celestial equator). The Moon will remain in this constellation until the end of the day on December 10, and will enter the constellation Capricorn at a phase of 0.12+ near the descending node and the apogee of its orbit. The Moon will remain in the constellation Capricorn until December 13, and will move to the constellation Aquarius (F = 0.3+). Here, at a phase of 0.42+, the Moon will pass south of Neptune on December 14, and the next day will approach Mars at a phase of 0.45+. In the constellation Aquarius on December 15, the Moon will take the first quarter phase, and on December 16 it will visit the constellation Pisces at a phase of 0.55+. On the same day, the night star will move into the constellation Cetus, and on December 17, at a phase of 0.7+, it will again enter the constellation Pisces and will approach Uranus, to the south of which it will pass the next day at a phase of 0.75+. On December 18, the Moon, at a phase of 0.8+, will again move into the constellation Cetus, and on December 19, it will reach the constellation Aries at a phase of 0.85+. On December 20, the bright lunar oval will move into the constellation Taurus at a phase of more than 0.9+, where the next day it will pass one and a half degrees north of Aldebaran at a phase of 0.97+. The star will not be covered, because The current series of occultations has ended, and the next time the Moon will cover Aldebaran is only on August 18, 2033. On December 22, the lunar disk will visit the constellation Orion, where it will enter the full moon phase. On December 23, the full Moon will move into the constellation Gemini, being near its maximum declination north of the celestial equator and the perigee of its orbit. On December 24, the Moon will reach the constellation Cancer at a phase of 0.95-, located south of comet P/Stephan-Oterma (38P). Here, on December 25, the night star at a phase of 0.92 will cross the open star cluster Manger (M44) near the ascending node of its orbit. At a phase of 0.88-, the lunar oval will reach the constellation Leo on December 25 and rush to Regulus, north of which it will pass the next day at a phase of 0.8-. In the constellation Leo on December 28, when at a phase of 0.62 it will move into the constellation Virgo. Here the Moon will enter the last quarter phase on December 29, and on December 30 it will pass north of Spica at a phase of 0.38-. On December 31, at a phase of 0.28-, the aging sickle will move into the constellation Libra and end its journey across the sky of 2018 here at a phase of 0.23-.
Major planets of the solar system.
Mercury moves backward through the constellation Libra, changing its movement here to direct on December 7. On December 15, the fast planet moves into the constellation Scorpio, and on December 20 it reaches the constellation Ophiuchus. Mercury is in the morning sky, and is observed against the background of dawn quite high above the southeastern horizon. On December 15, the planet reaches a morning (western) elongation of 21.5 degrees with a visibility duration of more than an hour. At the beginning of the month, the apparent diameter of Mercury is about 10 arcseconds, and then begins to decrease, reaching a value of 5 arcseconds by the end of the year. The phase of the planet gradually increases from 0.1 at the beginning of the period described and to 0.9 by the end of December. This means that when observed through a telescope, Mercury will have the appearance of a crescent, turning into a half-disk, and then into an oval. The planet's brightness increases from 2m to -0.5m by the middle of the month, and then slowly begins to decrease. In December 2016, Mercury passed across the disk of the Sun, and the next transit is next year on November 11.
Venus moves in the same direction with the Sun through the constellation Virgo, moving into the constellation Libra on December 13. The planet is visible in the morning sky, increasing its angular distance to the west from the Sun from 40 to 47 degrees, almost reaching its maximum western elongation by the end of the year. In the second half of the month, Venus approaches the star Alpha Libra by up to 3 degrees. Through the telescope, a thin crescent without details is observed. The crescent of the planet is easily observed even with binoculars! The apparent diameter of Venus decreases from 40" to 28", and the phase increases from 0.25 to 0.45 with a magnitude remaining at -4.8m.
Mars moves in the same direction with the Sun through the constellation Aquarius, moving to the constellation Pisces on December 21. The planet is observed in the evening hours above the southern horizon in the form of a bright reddish star that stands out against the background of other stars. The planet’s brightness decreases from 0m to +0.4m per month, and its apparent diameter decreases from 9” to 7.5”. The favorable period of visibility of the mysterious planet is ending this year. Mars went through a great opposition with the Sun on July 27 of this year. Details on the surface of the planet can still be visually observed with an instrument with a lens diameter of 60 mm, and, in addition, photographically with subsequent processing on a computer.
Jupiter moves in a direct motion through the constellation Scorpio, gradually approaching Antares and moving into the constellation Ophiuchus on December 13. The gas giant is observed in the rays of the rising Sun. The angular diameter of the largest planet in the solar system is about 31” with a magnitude of -1.7m. The planet's disk is visible even through binoculars, and through a small telescope, stripes and other details are visible on the surface. Four large satellites are already visible with binoculars, and with a telescope in good visibility conditions you can observe the shadows of the satellites on the planet’s disk. Information about satellite configurations is available in the tables above.
Saturn moves in the same direction as the Sun along the constellation Sagittarius near the globular star cluster M22. You can observe the ringed planet against the background of the evening dawn. The planet's brightness is 0.5m with an apparent diameter of about 15". With a small telescope you can observe the ring and the Titan satellite, as well as other brighter satellites. The apparent dimensions of the planet's ring are on average 40x15” with an inclination of 26 degrees to the observer.
Uranus(5.9m, 3.4”) moves backward through the constellation Aries (near the star Omicron Psc with a magnitude of 4.2m) until December 3, when it moves into the constellation Pisces. The planet is visible all night, and you can find it with binoculars. A telescope with a diameter of 80 mm or more with a magnification of more than 80 times and a clear sky will help you to see the disk of Uranus. The planet can be seen with the naked eye during new moon periods in a dark, clear sky. The satellites of Uranus have a brightness less than 13m.
Neptune(7.9m, 2.3”) moves in the same direction as the Sun in the constellation Aquarius near the star lambda Aqr (3.7m). The planet is visible almost all night. To search for the most distant planet in the solar system, you will need binoculars and star maps in Astronomical calendar for 2018, and the disk is visible in a telescope from 100 mm in diameter with a magnification of more than 100 times (with a clear sky). Neptune can be captured photographically with the simplest camera with a shutter speed of 10 seconds or more. Neptune's moons have a brightness of less than 13m.
From comets, visible in December from the territory of our country, at least two comets will have a calculated brightness of about 10m and brighter: P/Wirtanen (46P) and P/Stephan-Oterma (38P). The first, with a maximum calculated brightness of about 4m, moves through the constellations Cetus, Eridanus, Taurus, Perseus, Auriga and Lynx. The second moves through the constellations Cancer and Lynx with a maximum calculated brightness of about 9m. Details of the other comets of the month are available at http://aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html, and observations are available at http://195.209.248.207/.
Among the asteroids The brightest in December will be Juno (7.6m) - in the constellation Eridanus, as well as Vesta (8.0m) - in the constellation Capricorn. The ephemerides of these and other asteroids accessible to small telescopes are given in the tables above. Maps of the paths of these and other asteroids (comets) are given in the appendix to the KN (file mapkn122018.pdf). Information on asteroid occultations of stars at http://asteroidoccultation.com/IndexAll.htm.
Of the relatively bright long-period variable stars(observed from the territory of Russia and the CIS) maximum brightness this month according to AAVSO data was reached: S Giraffe 8.1m - December 4, Y Perseus 8.4m - December 5, R Hercules 8.8m - December 6, X Ceti 8.8m — December 7, R Chanterelles 8.1m — December 7, RT Centauri 9.0m — December 22, R Microscope 9.2m — December 24, U Snakes 8.5m — December 25, U Perseus 8.1m — December 26, S Ursa Major 7.8m - December 27, X Giraffe 8.1m - December 30.
Other information about the phenomena of the year is available in AK_2018 - http://www.astronet.ru/db/msg/1364103
Clear skies and successful observations!
Date: 11/29/2018The most important astronomical event in December is winter solstice that will happen December 22, 2018 at 01:23 Moscow time! After the longest night of the year, real astronomical winter comes, and with it, each subsequent day will give us a little more light. By the New Year, the length of daylight will increase by almost 8 minutes!
The December sky, provided the weather is clear, will delight with bright winter constellations and two star showers: December 14 is the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, up to 120 meteors per hour are expected, and on December 22, the longest night of the year, the Ursids star shower is expected, from the constellation Ursa Minor , with observations of up to 10 meteors per hour.
December 1 – 226 years since the birth (12/01/1792) of the Russian mathematician Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky
December 1 - 57 years ago (12/01/1961) the Sputnik-6 spacecraft was launched (dogs Pchelka and Mushka)
December 2 – end of evening visibility of Saturn
December 3 – Moon passes 7° north Speakers (12:00)
December 3 - 114 years ago, December 3, 1904, American astronomer C. D. Perrine (1867-1951) at the Lick Observatory discovered a new moon of Jupiter, sixth in the order of discovery, subsequently named Gamaliya in honor of the nymph of Rhodes. The diameter of the satellite is 170 km
December 4 - 45 years ago, on December 4, 1973, the American automatic interplanetary station Pioneer 10 passed close to Jupiter, transmitted high-quality color images of the planet and its satellites to Earth, and explored the atmosphere and magnetosphere of the planet
December 4 – the aging Moon passes 3° north of Venus (00:00)
December 5 – The Moon passes near Mercury
December 6 – The Moon passes near Jupiter
December 6 – Mercury in station with the transition from retrograde motion to direct (23:50)
December 7 – the beginning of the morning visibility of Mercury
December 7 – Beginning of activity of the Geminids meteor shower
December 7 – new moon (10:22)
December 7 – Mars passes two arc minutes (!) north of Neptune
December 7 – 113 years (12/07/1905) since the birth of Gerard Kuiper
December 9 – daytime occultation of Saturn by the Moon, visible in Siberia and the Far East (08:00)
December 11 - 46 years ago, on December 11, 1972, the crew of Apollo 17 became the last people to set foot on the lunar surface. While Ronald Evans was orbiting the Moon, the first space scientist, geologist Harrison Schmit and Eugene Cernan, collected a record 110 kg of lunar rock during three missions that lasted 7.2, 7.6 and 7.3 hours.
December 12 – Moon at apogee, distance from Earth 405,176 km (15:27)
December 13 - Comet 46P/Wirtanen passes perihelion at a distance of 1.05 AU. e. from the Sun
December 14 – maximum action of the Geminids meteor shower (ZHR= 120) from the constellation Gemini (15:00)
December 14 – The Moon passes 3° south of Neptune (20:00).
December 14 – 472 years (12/14/1546) since the birth of the Danish astronomer and Renaissance alchemist Tycho Brahe
December 15 – The Moon passes 3° south of Mars (05:00).
December 15 – Moon in first quarter phase (14:50)
December 15 - Mercury reaches maximum morning (western) elongation of 21.5°
December 15 - 52 years ago (12/15/1966) French astronomer Audouin Dollfus discovered Saturn's satellite Janus, which changes orbit with another satellite, Epimetheus, every four years
December 16 - comet 46P/Wirtanen, expected brightness of about +4m (stellar magnitude) passes approximately 4° from the beautiful open star cluster Pleiades (M 45)
December 16 - Comet 46P/Wirtanen passes 11.5 million km from Earth
December 17 – the end of the Geminids meteor shower
December 17 - 115 years ago, December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers made their first airplane flight.
December 17 – the beginning of the Ursids meteor shower
December 18 – the beginning of the morning visibility of Jupiter
December 18 – The Moon passes 5° south of Uranus (10:00).
December 18 – 162 years (12/18/1856) since the birth of the English physicist who discovered the electron, Nobel laureate Joseph John Thomson
December 21 – Moon in the Hyades (08:00)
December 21 – The Moon passes 2° north of Aldebaran (11:00)
December 21 – Mercury passes 1° north of Jupiter (21:00)
December 22 – winter solstice (01:23)
December 22 – full moon (20:50)
December 22 – maximum action of the Ursid meteor shower (ZHR = 10) from the constellation Ursa Minor
December 23 – Jupiter passes 5° north of Antares
December 23 - Comet 46P/Wirtanen passes within approximately 1° of the bright star Capella (Alpha Auriga)
December 23 – end of morning visibility of Mercury
December 24 – The Moon passes 7° south of Pollux (09:00)
December 24 – Moon at perigee, distance from Earth 361059 km (12:53)
December 24 - 50 years ago, December 24, 1968, earthlings flew around the Moon for the first time - the Apollo 8 mission, for the first time they saw with their own eyes the far side of the Moon and the rise of the Earth above the lunar horizon. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on December 24 and remained there for 20 hours, 10 minutes and 13 seconds, making 10 orbits around the Moon.
December 25 – 40 years ago, December 25, 1978, the Venera 12 spacecraft made a soft landing on the surface of Venus
December 25 – 113 years (12/25/1904) since the birth of the Soviet astronomer Georgy Nikolaevich Duboshin
December 26 – the end of the Ursids meteor shower
December 26 – The Moon passes 2° north of Regulus (21:00)
December 26 – Venus at perihelion
December 27 - 447 years (12/27/1571) since the birth of the German mathematician, astronomer, mechanics, optics, discoverer of the laws of motion of the planets of the solar system Johannes Kepler
December 28 – Beginning of activity of the Quadrantids meteor shower
December 29 – Moon in last quarter phase (12:37)
December 30 – The Moon passes 7° north of Spica (18:00)
December 31 is 154 years (December 31, 1864) since the birth of the American astronomer Robert Grant Aitken. Aitken discovered more than 3,000 double stars
Starry sky of December
The month of the longest nights usually does not spoil us with clear weather. But it is in December that you can observe another giant meteor shower - the famous Geminids, which surpass all other annual meteor showers in the number of “shooting stars”, including the August Perseids...
Leo and Hydra are rising... A bright group of winter constellations, Auriga, Taurus, Gemini, Orion, Monoceros, Canis Minor and Canis Major, are approaching their climax from the southeast. It was in this part of the sky that nature collected almost half of the brightest stars in the sky! Including the brightest star visible from Earth after the Sun - radiant Sirius (α Canis Majoris; -1.46 magnitude). What gives these constellations a special charm is the Milky Way, which passes through them and stretches further, through the zenith (Perseus and Cassiopeia) to the northwestern part of the horizon (Cepheus and Cygnus)...
High in the northwest are Cassiopeia and Cepheus, and to the north above the horizon are Cygnus and Lyra.
In the southern region of the sky there is the constellation Orion, above it (slightly to the right, to the west) is Taurus and even higher is Auriga, to the west of which the constellation Perseus is visible. Whale, Pisces and Pegasus leaned closer to the west. Even further, in the northwest, the departing Swan, Lyra and Hercules are visible...
In the southeast, to the left of Taurus, is the constellation Gemini (it is from here that we expect the annual Geminids meteor shower in mid-December). Below Taurus is the constellation Canis Minor and not high above the horizon is the constellation Canis Major. In the east The constellation Leo has already risen, above which in the northeastern region are the constellations Ursa Major and Canes Venatici.
December starfalls: Geminids and Ursids. Geminids are the most powerful meteor shower of the year. Meteors, often white and bright, can fall very frequently - up to 120 meteors per hour on the night of maximum activity, which is expected on December 14. The Geminid radiant is located near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini.
The longest night of the year, December 22, marks the peak of the Ursids meteor shower, which can only be observed in the Northern Hemisphere. Up to 10 meteors per hour are expected. The radiant is located in the constellation Ursa Minor.
Sun
The sun moves through the constellation Ophiuchus until December 18, and then moves into the constellation Sagittarius. The declination of the central luminary by December 22, 2018 at 01:23 Moscow time reaches a minimum (23.5 degrees south of the celestial equator) this is the moment of the winter solstice, therefore the length of the day in the northern hemisphere of the Earth is minimal, and the length of the night is maximum.
At the beginning of December it is 7 hours 23 minutes, on December 22 it is 6 hours 56 minutes, and by the end of the described period it increases to 7 hours 02 minutes.
One planet is visible in the morning sky: SATURN(m=+0.1) * .
SATURN as a bright star visible in the morning low above the horizon in the constellation Sagittarius.
Although VENUS morning visibility, but it is practically invisible against the background of a bright sky, because rises 40-50 minutes before sunrise, and sets before it.
* The magnitude (m), which characterizes the brightness, is indicated in parentheses: the brighter the star or planet, the lower the magnitude.
CONSTELLATIONS IN THE MORNING SKY
Constellations visible above the southern horizon before dawn: Southern Fish, Aquarius, Capricorn, Pegasus and the smallest constellations of the sky: Small horse, Dolphin, Arrow.
View of the starry sky above the southern horizon on July 15 at 3:30
Constellations rise into the sky in the east Charioteer with the bright star Capella, Perseus, Taurus, Kita, Aries, Pisces. High in the sky - constellation Andromeda, which contains one of the closest galaxies to us - the Andromeda nebula.
View of the starry sky above the eastern horizon on July 15 at 3:30
In the west, constellations set beyond the horizon Ophiuchus And Bootes. A constellation is visible high above the horizon Lyres with bright Vega, and a little lower there is a large constellation Hercules And Northern crown.
View of the starry sky above the western horizon on July 15 at 3:30
In the north, the constellation is located not so high above the horizon Ursa Major , whose seven bright stars form a figure Big Dipper. Connecting the extreme stars Big Dipper straight line, and continuing it upward, we arrive at Polar star. She belongs to the constellation Ursa Minor. Between the Ursa there is a constellation Dragon, next to it is the constellation Giraffe and below the constellation Lynx.
Reigns in the sky Orion, immediately attracting the admiring glances of observers. Above and to the left of Orion sparkles a pair of stars Castor and Pollux from the constellation Gemini, below them is the star Procyon from Canis Minor, below and to the left of Orion, not high above the horizon, shines the brightest star in the entire sky, Sirius, from the constellation Canis Major. On the right, Orion swings at Taurus with bright Aldebaran, which crowns Hyades(a cluster of stars that looks like the horns of a bull). In December, the Earth passes through a swarm of meteor particles, giving rise to the Geminids starfall in the sky: its activity is about 120 meteors per hour on the maximum date. Around midnight, the Milky Way stretches from northwest to south, and Big Dipper is located above the northeastern part of the horizon, rising to the zenith in the morning.
The review does not show the current positions of the planets in the constellations. Read more about the movements of the planets in the monthly materials "".
View of the sky in December in the middle latitudes of Russia around midnight
This article will help you navigate star maps:
"How to use the star map"
We remind you: true midnight in Bratsk occurs around 1 am local time!
why so, we read in the material: Games with time. When is noon in Bratsk? ,
and after October 26, 2014 we read in the material: Clocks in the Irkutsk region will be changed once and for all
THE PATH OF THE CIRCUPOLAR CONSTELLATIONS
Ladle Ursa Major begins its journey in the evening under Ursa Minor, balancing on the handle of the Bucket, turns around overnight North Star counterclockwise by about 120 degrees, while rising higher and higher above the northeast, by morning it completely overturns the Bucket, climbing to the very zenith above North Star.
Starry sky in December from the northern horizon in the middle latitudes of Russia:
In the evening around 21 o'clock
Other circumpolar constellations make the same turn. Cassiopeia, the lines of whose figure are similar to the letter “M” or “W”, shines high at the zenith in the evening sky, by morning it takes place to the left and below from Polar. The Dragon with an easily distinguishable trapezoid of the head encircles in the evening Ursa Minor below near the northern horizon, by morning located to the right of Ursa Minor above the northeastern horizon. "House" Cepheus, located between Cassiopeia And Dragon makes the same circuit around Polar on the left, by morning it “falls” towards the northern horizon.
FROM THIS EVENING...
In the evening, constellations sparkle high above the southeastern horizon Charioteer bright star Capella And Perseus, and below the bright winter constellations begin their ascent: Taurus, Gemini, Orion and Canis Minor. The constellations of the Summer Triangle lean towards the west: Swan, Eagle and Lyre. The Square is located high above the southwest Pegasus with a "handle" of stars Andromeda. Under Andromeda two bright stars are visible Aries, and “floats” along the horizon Whale. south of Pegasus the constellations lie Aquarius And Pisces.
Evening sky in December at the middle latitude of Russia (56 N):
from the eastern horizon around 21:00:
from the southern horizon around 21:00:
from the western horizon around 21:00:
This is a favorable period for observations of one of our closest galactic neighbors Andromeda Nebula (M31). It is easily distinguishable even with binoculars as a large elongated nebulous spot above the star ν Andromeda. This beautiful spiral galaxy is located at a distance of 252 million light years from Earth. Its extent is 260 thousand light years, which is 2.6 times longer than the Milky Way. In the Earth's sky, it occupies an area of 3.2° × 1.0°. The magnitude is +3.4m.
The Andromeda Nebula and its position in the constellation
The magnificent scattering of Pleiades stars (M45), similar to a small bucket, is easily visible with a simple glance in the constellation Taurus (in September it rises around midnight). The nine brightest stars of the cluster received their names in honor of the seven sisters of the Pleiades of ancient Greek mythology: Alcyone, Keleno, Maia, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta and Electra, as well as their parents - Atlas and Pleione. Long exposures reveal glowing blue nebulae that envelop the stars. The Pleiades star cluster is about 12 light-years in diameter and contains about 1,000 stars. The age of the Pleiades is estimated at 100 million years, and the distance to them is approximately 440 light years. Previously, it was believed that the dust that forms the nebula is the remnants of the material from which the stars of the cluster were formed. However, within 100 million years, this material would be dispersed by the pressure of stellar radiation. Apparently, the Pleiades are simply now moving through a region of space saturated with cosmic dust.
The open star cluster Pleiades (old Russian name Stozhary) and its position in the constellation.
AT NIGHT...
Be sure to look at the three stars just below Orion's Belt. The middle of them is resolved through binoculars to a blurred spot of irregular shape, called Great Orion Nebula M42, where very young stars are currently developing, is a sort of cosmic nursery. This is the most attractive object in the northern sky for astronomy lovers.
Orion constellation over Lough Eske in Ireland
In average amateur telescopes, the nebula appears in the form of a bat - with a bright center and rapidly decreasing brightness of the “wings”. A trapezoid of four young stars is visible in the center of the nebula. It was here that the Hubble Telescope spotted a protoplanetary disk. The distance to the Orion Nebula is about 1350 light years and is 33 light years across. Adjacent to the northern part of M42 is a sort of “comma” - a small emission nebula, designated M43.
The Great Orion Nebula and its position in the constellation
In the last month of the year, all seven major planets of the solar system can be observed. The evening sky contains Saturn, Mars and the distant planets Uranus and Neptune. Luxurious Venus shines in the morning sky. During December, Mercury is visible low above the horizon in the dawn rays, and from the middle of the month you can also see bright Jupiter there.
But for detailed observations through a telescope, half of the planets are too low above the horizon. Perhaps only Uranus, Mars and Neptune, and even Venus just before sunrise are located at an acceptable altitude. The remaining planets will be strongly influenced by the Earth's atmosphere - you will find few details on their disks when observed through a telescope. It is especially annoying that this fully applies to Jupiter and Saturn, the most attractive planets from the point of view of observation.
Let's take a closer look at the visibility and positions of the planets during December. Let's start in order - with Mercury.
Mercury
It is not for nothing that the planet closest to the Sun is considered elusive: it is always in the sky somewhere near our daytime star. In those short periods when it “detaches” from the Sun in the sky, Mercury is observed in the rays of the morning or evening dawn.
December is a very favorable month for observing Mercury. Starting from December 5, the planet is observed in the mornings in the southeast, approximately 1 - 2 hours before sunrise. The easiest way to find Mercury is to start from very bright Venus, which is quite high in the sky at this time.
On the morning of December 10, Mercury is clearly visible against the background of the dawn in the southeast. Here and below the picture is shown for the latitude of Moscow. Pattern: Stellarium
The best time to observe the planet closest to the Sun is December 10 and lasts until approximately December 22-23. During this period, Mercury is observed for an hour against the background of the morning dawn. The planet will reach its maximum distance from the Sun in the sky (this distance is called maximum elongation) on December 15; The angular distance between Mercury and the Sun will be 21.5 degrees.
In mid-December 2018, Mercury rises in a still dark sky. Pattern: Stellarium
From December 17 to 25, the bright planet Jupiter is adjacent to Mercury. Which of the two planets will be more visible in the sky? In mid-December, definitely Mercury - it will be higher in the sky. But after December 20, Jupiter - the planet will be both brighter and higher in the sky than Mercury.
Mercury is moving away from Earth; As a result, Mercury's apparent diameter decreases over the course of a month, from 10 arcseconds in early December to 5″ at the end of the year. The phase of the planet, on the contrary, increases - from 0.1 to 0.9 by the end of December. This means that when observed through a telescope, Mercury will first have the shape of a sickle, in the middle of the month it will turn into a half-disk, and by the end of the year it will turn into an oval. The planet's brightness increases from 2 m to -0.5 m by mid-December, and then slowly declines.
Venus
Venus- the main planet in the December sky of 2018. As always, fantastically bright, it sparkles in the morning sky, acting as a beautiful morning star.
Venus rises about 3.5 hours before sunrise in the southeast. Against the dark background of the sky it looks like a large star of white or (at the horizon) yellowish color. Unlike stars, Venus does not flicker, but shines with an even, calm light. Venus is so bright that it looks more like the spotlight of an oncoming plane than a star, and is a constant source of reports of UFO sightings.
Venus in the predawn sky in mid-December 2018. Please note: the planet forms an almost isosceles triangle in the sky with the bright stars Spica and Arcturus. By the way, by comparing their brilliance with the brilliance of Venus, you will get an idea of how much brighter the planet is than any of the stars. Pattern: Stellarium
When the morning dawn is already blazing with might and main in the sky, Venus is still perfectly visible at an altitude of 20-25° above the horizon (the exact altitude depends on the latitude of the observation location). Even when the stars have disappeared from the sky, Venus is visible very clearly against a blue background, disappearing only after sunrise. In fact, Venus is so bright that it can be seen with the naked eye even during the day! True, to search for a planet against such a bright background, you still need some experience in daytime observations.
Already visible through binoculars phases of Venus. In early December, the planet is observed in the form of a crescent with a diameter of 40 arcseconds; by the end of the month, the phase decreases from 0.25 to 0.45, as well as the visible diameter - to 28″. By the New Year, exactly half of the disk of Venus will be illuminated. The planet's brightness decreases slightly - from -4.8 m to -4.6 m.
Mars
In December 2018 Mars observed in the evenings in the southern sky. During the month, the Red Planet moves against the background of stars in the same direction as the Sun (from west to east), traveling through the constellations of Aquarius (until December 21) and Pisces.
The best time to observe Mars is the first 3-4 hours after sunset. In the evenings, the planet is quite high in the sky in the south and southwest. Externally, Mars looks like a bright (0 m) star-shaped object reddish color. There are no other bright stars close to the planet, so you can easily find it in the sky. Be aware that on particularly windy evenings, Mars may twinkle, although not as much as the stars.
On December evenings, Mars shines alone above the southern horizon. Pattern: Stellarium
After the Great Opposition on July 27, 2018, Mars is moving away from Earth. As a result, the brightness and apparent size of the planet decreases. During December, the brightness drops from 0 m to 0.4 m, the diameter of the disk decreases from 9″ to 7.5″.
View of Mars through a small telescope in late November 2018. Photo: Masa Nakamura
Small telescopes will only show the largest features on the surface of Mars, such as the polar caps and large dark areas. To make serious observations of the planet, you will need a telescope with a lens greater than 150mm.
Jupiter
The largest planet in the solar system entered into conjunction with the Sun on November 26, after which it moved into the morning sky. December 2018 Jupiter spends in the constellations Scorpio and Ophiuchus; starting from December 10, it can be observed in the rays of the rising Sun in the southeast.
To find Jupiter in the middle of the month, use bright Venus as a guide. About an hour before sunrise, when only the brightest stars remain in the sky, mentally draw a segment from Venus to the area on the horizon where the dawn is brightest. Jupiter will be very low above the horizon near this segment. To see the planet in the first days, you will definitely need an open horizon in the southeast direction - Jupiter barely has time to rise before the final dawn, and therefore during street observations it will be successfully obscured by the surrounding houses, trees and even hills. It's great if you have binoculars - they will greatly simplify your search!
Please note: at the same time - from December 10 to 25 - Mercury will be near Jupiter! Don't confuse the planets! Until December 21, Mercury will be closer to Venus than Jupiter, and from December 22, Jupiter will be closer to Venus.
And let me remind you once again that on the morning of December 22 Jupiter and Mercury enter into a rather close conjunction- the planets will be separated in the sky by less than one degree. For four mornings in a row - from December 20 to 23 - Jupiter and Mercury will make a beautiful pair against the background of the morning dawn, when observed through binoculars, being in the same field of view!
The last days of December, Jupiter rises against a dark background of the sky, the planet is observed already two hours after Venus rises and until sunrise.
What can be seen on Jupiter through a telescope? So far, frankly speaking, not much. Certainly, disk of Jupiter, which is already visible through binoculars. The telescope will show that Jupiter will be flattened towards the poles. Also visible through the telescope are streaks on the disk and, possibly, the Great Red Spot. Some finer details will most likely be washed out by the atmosphere, which often happens with objects located low above the horizon.
The four largest satellites of Jupiter are easily observed through binoculars or a small telescope as fairly bright stars on the sides of the planet. Using telescopes with an aperture of over 80 mm, you can follow interesting phenomena in the Jupiter system - the entry of satellites into the shadow of the planet or their passage in front of the disk of the gas giant, when tiny satellites themselves cast a shadow on the planet. It makes sense to carry out such observations in the last days of December, when Jupiter will be higher above the horizon. The configurations of Jupiter's satellites for December 2018 can be found in the astronomical calendar (compiled by Alexander Kozlovsky)
The angular diameter of the largest planet in the solar system is about 31″ in December, the brightness remains at a level of -1.7 m.
Saturn
In early December Saturn observed for a short time in the southwest in the rays of the evening dawn. You can try to find Saturn with the naked eye, or better yet, with binoculars, carefully scanning the sky near the southwestern horizon. You can start searching about an hour after sunset.
The planet is best visible in southern Russia; at the latitude of Moscow and St. Petersburg it is difficult to see it, since it is very low in the sky and goes beyond the horizon before complete darkness sets in. As with Jupiter, to view Saturn you will need an open horizon towards sunset.
In early December 2018, Saturn is very low on the horizon under the Summer Triangle. Pattern: Stellarium
The apparent dimensions of the planet’s ring are on average 40″ × 15″ with an inclination of 26 degrees to the observer, the planet’s disk will be 15″. With a small telescope you can observe the ring and the Titan satellite, as well as other brighter satellites.
Uranus and Neptune
Uranus And Neptune For several years now they have been “autumn” planets, as they are in the autumn constellations of Pisces and Aquarius. These are the most distant planets in the solar system and therefore the dimmest.
The brilliance of Uranus is at the limit of visibility with the naked eye, but it is not visible in the city sky, even if you have very keen eyesight. The culprit is street light. If you want to accomplish a feat and still see the planet without the help of optics, look for a very dark and transparent sky - far in the steppe, in the taiga or in the mountains.
Under normal conditions, to find and observe Uranus, you will need star charts and a telescope. The star will serve as a guide when searching. Omicron Pisces- Uranus is 1.5 degrees northeast of it. And on December 18, the waxing Moon will be relatively close to the planet.
During the month, Uranus is observed throughout the night; You can discern the disk of the planet in a telescope with a lens of 90 mm, using a magnification of over 80 times. The brightest satellites of Uranus have a magnitude of about 13 m and are inaccessible for observations with small amateur telescopes.
Neptune even fainter than Uranus. Even through binoculars it appears as an unremarkable 8th magnitude star. There are a huge number of such luminaries in the sky, and finding Neptune among them is quite difficult. Usually, to find a planet, you cannot do without star maps. But on the evening of December 7, there will be a rare opportunity to see Neptune without time-consuming searches - Mars will be just 2 arc minutes away from it! All you have to do is point your telescope at Mars; you will find Neptune in the same field of view as the Red Planet.
On other days, look for Neptune by starting from the star Lambda Aquarius(her name is Khidor), near which there is a planet. You can take the map of Neptune’s position from the Astronomical Calendar for 2018, edited by Alexander Kozlovsky (it can be downloaded for free on the Internet) or make it yourself by printing a screenshot from any planetarium program.
Let's summarize.
The main “planetary” events in December 2018 occur in the morning sky, where the bright light sparkles in the morning Venus, and near the horizon in the rays of the morning dawn are observed Mercury And Jupiter. It will be very interesting to follow the movement of the last two planets: within just a couple of weeks they will noticeably shift relative to each other.
In the evening sky the main planet is Mars, which is observed in the evenings in the constellations Aquarius and Pisces. The two most distant planets are also located in the same constellations - Uranus And Neptune. Don't miss the close conjunction of Mars and Neptune on the evening of December 7th. Planet Saturn also visible in the evenings, but for a short time very low above the western horizon.
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