An Astronomer's December.
Celestial Events in December 2025
Plenty to see this month, but as always, wrap up warm and especially make sure your boots and hat are Super Ninja North Pole Thermal quality.
December 4 (evening): Full Moon (Cold Moon).
The last full Moon of the year will also be a supermoon, meaning it is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit (perigee), making it appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when it is farthest away. It will occur at 23:14 GMT.
December 7th: Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation & Jupiter at Opposition.
Mercury will reach its greatest western elongation, appearing at its farthest point from the Sun in the morning sky.
This, coupled with Jupiter being at opposition (closest to Earth and fully illuminated), should make for good planetary viewing, especially in the early morning.
December 4th–20th: Geminid Meteor Shower Active.
The Geminids, one of the most reliable and spectacular meteor showers, are active during this period.
December 14th (peak): Geminid Meteor Shower.
Viewing conditions in 2025 are favorable due to a waning crescent moon that will not interfere with the darker skies needed to spot the bright, multi-colored meteors.
December 19th: New Moon.
At 01:43 GMT, the Moon will be new, creating excellent dark-sky conditions for observing faint objects like galaxies and star clusters.
December 21: December Solstice.
The Winter Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) occurs at 15:03 GMT, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year.
December 17th–26th: Ursid Meteor Shower Active.
This minor shower typically peaks around the solstice, producing about 5–10 meteors per hour.
December 22nd (peak): Ursid Meteor Shower
The peak occurs on the night of December 21-22. A dark, nearly new moon makes for good viewing conditions for this often-overlooked shower.
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