December Calendar by Dave Mitsky

All times are UT (subtract 5 hours and when appropriate 1 calendar day for EST)

12/1 Saturn is 5.2 degrees south of the Moon at 04:00
12/2 The Moon is 3.6 degrees north-northeast of the large open cluster M44 (the Beehive or Praesepe) at 02:00
12/3 The Great Red Spot (GRS) transits the central meridian of Jupiter at 09:31; the Moon is 4.1 degrees north-northeast of the first magnitude star Regulus (Alpha Leonis) at 23:00
12/5 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 00:53; maximum lunar libration of 8.1 degrees occurs at 01:00; Mercury is at the ascending node at 12:00; Venus (magnitude -4.0) is 1.2 degrees north-northeast of Mars (magnitude 1.7) at 23:00
12/7 Titan (magnitude 8.3) is due south of Saturn (magnitude -0.1); Iapetus is due south of Saturn; the earliest sunset at latitude 40 degrees north occurs today; Jupiter is 0.36 degree south of the Moon at 11:00 - an occultation occurs in central and western Africa, northeastern Brazil, and eastern and central North America
12/8 The Moon is 2.7 degrees north-northeast of the first magnitude star Spica (Alpha Virginis) at 04:00; Comet 62/P Tsuchinshan is at perihelion at 15:00; the Moon is at the descending node (longitude 211.3 degrees) at 16:58
12/9 Mars is 2.0 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 23:00
12/10 Venus, Mars, and the Moon are within 4 degrees if each other at 01:00; Mercury is at perihelion at 03:00; Mercury is at inferior conjunction with the Sun at 08:00
12/11 The Moon is 1.4 degrees north of the first magnitude star Antares at 09:00; Minimum lunar libration of 5.3 degrees occurs at 11:00
12/12 New Moon (lunation 1014) occurs at 01:29; the A star of the Trapezium, Theta Orionis A (magnitude 6.7), dims by approximately 1 magnitude by mid-eclipse, a 2.5 hour long event that happens at 13:04; the Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'23" from a distance of 357,983 kilometers (56.1 earth-radii), at 21:00 - large tides will result
12/13 Pluto is in conjunction with the Sun at 17:00; the Geminid meteor shower (~75/hour) peaks at 22:00
12/14 Io is eclipsed by Jupiter's shadow at 08:47
12/15 Titan is due north of Saturn; the five naked-eye planets are visible simultaneously for the next four weeks; the GRS transits at 09:27; Neptune is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 11:00
12/16 Uranus is 4 degrees north of the Moon at 21:00
12/17 Maximum lunar libration of 8.7 degrees occurs at 09:00
12/18 The Sun enters Sagittarius (ecliptic longitude 266.4 degrees) at 00:00; First Quarter Moon occurs at 16:40
12/19 Venus is 13' north of the second magnitude star Graffias (Beta Scorpii) at approximately 07:00
12/20 Mercury reaches its greatest heliocentric latitude north; Mercury is stationary in right ascension at 07:00 - prograde or direct (eastward) motion commences; the GRS transits at 08:35
12/21 The Moon is at the ascending node (longitude 30.5 degrees) at 06:51; the winter solstice occurs at 12:42 - the Sun is now farthest south in declination
12/22 The Ursid meteor shower (10-15/hour) peaks at 07:00
12/23 Titan is due south of Saturn; Europa disappears into eclipse at 10:12; the Moon is 1.5 degrees south-southeast of the large open cluster M45 (the Pleiades) at 17:00; Comet C/2003 K4 LINEAR is closest to the Earth at 20:00
12/24 Minimum lunar libration of 5.5 degrees occurs at 07:00; Venus (magnitude -3.9) is 5.6 degrees north of Antares (magnitude 1.0) at 17:00; the equation of time is zero (i.e., clocks and sundials agree) at 23:00
12/25 A double Galilean satellite transit by Ganymede and Io respectively begins at 22:08
12/26 Full Moon, known as the Moon Before Yule, occurs at 15:06
12/27 The GRS transits at 09:22; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'24" from a distance of 406,489 kilometers (63.7 earth-radii), at 19:00
12/28 The Moon is 1.7 degrees south-southwest of Pollux at 03:00; Saturn is 5 degrees south of the Moon at 06:00
12/29 Mercury is 1.2 degrees north of Venus at 05:00; the Moon is 3.4 degrees north-northwest of M44 at 08:00; Ganymede reappears from eclipse at 08:11; Mercury is at greatest western elongation (22.4 degrees) and exhibits its greatest illuminated extent of 22 square arcseconds at 21:00
12/31 Titan is due north of Saturn; Mercury is 1.1 degrees north-northwest of Venus at 06:00; the Moon is 3.9 degrees north-northeast of Regulus at 06:00

Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

Mercury is visible low in the southeast at dawn late in December. Beginning on December 21, Mercury and Venus are within 5 degrees of each other for a period of four weeks. The two planets are within 1 degree for three weeks starting on December 30.

Venus continues its eastward journey. On December 19, Venus is situated half-way between Mercury and Mars at dawn.

Mars, still quite small and dim, is a little more than 1 degree south of Venus and about the same distance from Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae) on the morning of December 5. It is only 1 degree north of Beta Scorpii on December 30 and passes a mere 7' north of Omega-1 Scrorpii the next morning.

Jupiter wanders eastward between Spica and Gamma Virginis and rises less than an hour after midnight by month's end. It is occulted by a waning crescent Moon on the morning of December 7.

Located in the constellation of Gemini, Saturn rises soon after the end of astronomical twilight in the east-northeast. Saturn reaches opposition in January and is therefore almost at maximum size and brightness. The Huygens probe will depart the Cassini spacecraft on its journey to Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system, on December 25.

Uranus, in Aquarius, and Neptune, in Capricornus, are fairly well placed in the southern sky at nightfall.

Pluto cannot be observed this month.

The Geminids may be the best meteor shower of 2004. The radiant, which is near Castor, is already high above the horizon before midnight.

Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) climbs northward to the west of Orion throughout the month. As this comet rapidly approaches the Sun, it may become visible without optical aid from a dark site. Comet Machholz Q2 passes to the east of the planetary nebula NGC 1535 in Eridanus on the nights of the 19th and 20th.

Asteroids 8 Flora (magnitude 9.1) and 532 Herculina (magnitude 9.7) travel north-westward through Cancer during December. They flank Mu Cancri at the end of the month.

One hundred and five binary and multiple stars for December: Gamma Andromedae, 59 Andromedae, Struve 245 (Andromeda); Struve 362, Struve 374, Struve 384, Struve 390, Struve 396, Struve 400, Struve 419, Otto Struve 67 (Camelopardalis); Struve 191, Struve Iota Cassiopeiae, Struve 263, Otto Struve 50, Struve 283, Struve 284 (Cassiopeia); 61 Ceti, Struve 218, Omicron Ceti, Struve 274, Nu Ceti, h3511, 84 Ceti, h3524, Lambda Ceti, Struve 330 (Cetus); h3527, h3533, Theta Eridani, Rho Eridani, Struve 341, h3548, h3565, Tau-4 Eridani, Struve 408, Struve 411, h3589, h3601, 30 Eridani, 32 Eridani (Eridanus); h3478, h3504, Omega Fornacis, Eta-2 Fornacis, Alpha Fornacis, See 25, Xi-3 Fornacis, h3596 (Fornax); Struve 268, Struve 270, h1123, Otto Struve 44, h2155, Nu Persei, Struve 297, Struve 301, Struve 304, Eta Persei, Struve 314, Otto Struve 48, Tau Persei, Struve 331, Struve 336, Es588, Struve 352, Struve 360, Struve 369, Struve 382, Struve 388, Struve 392, Struve 410, Struve 413, Struve 425, Otto Struve 59, Struve 426, 40 Persei, Struve 434, Struve 448, Es277, Zeta Persei, Struve 469, Epsilon Persei, Es878 (Perseus); Struve 399, Struve 406, Struve 401, Struve 422, Struve 430, Struve 427, Struve 435, 30 Tauri (Taurus); Epsilon Trianguli, Struve 219, Iota Trianguli, Struve 232, Struve 239, Struve 246, 10 Trianguli, Struve 269, h653, 15 Trianguli, Struve 285, Struve 286, Struve 310 (Triangulum)

Challenge binary star for December: 48 Cassiopeiae (Cassiopeia)

One hundred deep-sky objects for December: NGC 891 (Andromeda); IC 342, K6, St23, Tom 5 (Camelopardalis); Be65, IC 1848, K4, Mel15, NGC 896, NGC 1027, St2, Tr3 (Cassiopeia); M77, NGC 788, NGC 835, NGC 864, NGC 908, NGC 936, NGC 955, NGC 958, NGC 1015, NGC 1016, NGC 1022, NGC 1032, NGC 1052, NGC 1055, NGC 1087, NGC 1094 (Cetus); IC 2006, NGC 1084, NGC 1140, NGC 1187, NGC 1199, NGC 1209, NGC 1232, NGC 1291, NGC 1300, NGC 1309, NGC 1332, NGC 1337, NGC 1353, NGC 1357, NGC 1395, NGC 1400, NGC 1407, NGC 1421, NGC 1426, NGC 1440, NGC 1452, NGC 1453, NGC 1461 (Eridanus); NGC 1079, NGC 1097, NGC 1201, NGC 1292, NGC 1316, NGC 1317, NGC 1326, NGC 1344, NGC 1350, NGC 1360, NGC 1365, NGC 1371, NGC 1374, NGC 1379, NGC 1380, NGC 1381, NGC 1387, NGC 1398, NGC 1404, NGC 1406, NGC 1425 (Fornax); Bas10, Cz8, IC 351, IC 2003, K5, Mel 20, M34, NGC 869, NGC 884, NGC 957, NGC 1023, NGC 1058, NGC 1161, NGC 1245, NGC 1275, NGC 1333, NGC 1342, NGC 1444, Tr2 (Perseus); M45 (Taurus); NGC 777, NGC 784, NGC 890, NGC 925, NGC 949, NGC 959, NGC 978A/B (Triangulum)

Challenge deep-sky object for December: vdB14 (Camelopardalis)

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

WAT??????????????????????????

Thats quite a list Dave. I,m a keen multiple star observer myself. One you mention is iota tri. This is one of my fav colorfull doubles.

__________________
Nigel

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