The Night Sky for December 2008

From the Northern Hemisphere, there are several constellations and even planets seen with the naked eye during December 2008. For a closer look at a few space objects, get your binoculars ready and bundle up. There is a nice showcase out there for you stargazers!

Looking to the east in the evenings, you can see the constellation Perseus, the Hero, holding up the head of Medusa. Perseus is easily seen as he has three stars in a row that forms his belt. Stars also create his legs and arms.

One star in Perseus has some interesting facts. Algol, a white star in his right leg, is a special kind of star. It winks every 2.87 days. Algol has a dimmer star revolving around a brighter star that gives the appearance that the star winks.

Northeast of him is Triangulum, the geometric constellation that looks just like a triangle. Northwest of Perseus is Cassiopeia, the constellation that looks like a sideways and stretched out "W."

Between Perseus and Cassiopeia is Double Cluster. With your binoculars, you can see two clusters, NGC 869 and NGC 884, side by side. Between them is a small red star. These clusters contains up to thousands of stars. An open cluster, M34, is just northeast of Algol.

On December 1^st, look towards the western horizon and you will see Venus and Jupiter just beneath the crescent moon. This takes place right after dark. Venus is also called the "evening star" and you can see this planet for the month of December.

In the early morning hours, Saturn is featured high in the eastern skies. This ringed planet looks like a yellow star in the sky.

The Geminid meteor shower occurs December 12 - 14 in the east. It's best seen on a clear night and away from light pollution such as city lights. The Meteors appear to come from the area of the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. This constellation is high overhead.

Another major event during the month of December is the Winter Solstice. On December 21^st, the sun is at 23.5 degrees south, along the line of the Tropic of Capricorn. While here, the Northern Hemisphere experiences cold temperatures and short days. After the 21^st, the days start to get longer as the earth's axis tilts back.

Whether you have a great set of binoculars or a fancy telescope, the night sky is filled with wonderful sites every night. You don't have to be an expert to enjoy what lies beyond our atmosphere. You only have to be curious and look up to see the beauty that lies beyond us.