DECEMBER

SKY WATCH: On the 1st, Venus, now at its most brilliant, stands a comfortable 16 degrees high as the constellations emerge in the late evening twilight. On the 6th, it hovers just above the crescent Moon—a lovely sight. Also on the 6th, look for a planet bunch-up in the west after sunset: From lower right to upper left stand Venus, the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter. The grouping remains on the 8th, with the crescent Moon now second from the top, below Jupiter, which moves back into Aquarius at midmonth. By the holidays, Mercury, at a bright magnitude –0.5, will be visible, too, dangling below Venus from the 24th to the 31st. It will stand left of Venus from the 29th to the 31st. The solstice brings winter to the Northern Hemisphere on the 21st at 10:59 a.m. EST.

All times are given in Eastern Standard Time.

To use this page, see p. 116; for Key Letters, see p. 238. light = a.m. bold = p.m.