What's Happening in Space: December 2023

6th Dec 2023

Dhara Patel is a Space Expert at the National Space Centre, working to help share space science, stories, and topical news with our visitors and online audiences. Each month she curates a round-up of some notable space and science events coming up the weeks ahead.

Use these to inspire your own star-gazing or to get students talking about the busy and exciting space happenings around the world!

9^th December – close approach / conjunction of the Moon and Venus

During the afternoon of 9^th December, the very thin crescent moon will be in conjunction (sharing the same right ascension – coordinate) with Venus. At this time, they’ll both be beneath the horizon so won’t be visible. Instead look for the pair a little earlier, in the hours just before sunrise – they’ll be in close approach of one and other and will be up in the south-east. It would help to try to find a clear observing location without tall buildings/trees that may usually block your view. They’ll be visible to the naked eye and could be seen together through a pair of binoculars but will be too far separated to be seen within the field of view of a telescope. Find out more about oppositions and other astronomical phenomena in our blog written by David Southworth in our Education Team: Astronomical phenomena (spacecentre.co.uk).

12^th December – new moon (11:32pm)

The new moon on 12^th will occur in the constellation of Ophiuchus. We have a blog on ‘phases of the moon’ written by Mike Darch in our Space Comms team: What are the Phases of the Moon? (spacecentre.co.uk).

14^th/15^th December – peak of the Geminid meteor shower

One of the best of the annual meteor showers with up to 150 meteors per hour at its peak, this shower is produced by dust/fragments from asteroid 3200 Phaethon as opposed to a comet like most other meter showers. The meteors will radiate from the constellation of Gemini (rising above the north-eastern horizon after sunset) but can appear anywhere in the sky. Peaking on the night of the 14^th and into the morning of the 15^th, the thin crescent moon will be below the horizon throughout the night so there should be no moonlight interference to block out the fainter meteors this year. The radiant will continue to rise higher into the sky during the early morning of the 15^th, so it might be best to head out after midnight when the radiant will be high in the south, and look until just before sunrise. Find a dark location away from urban light and give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Find a clear view of the sky with few trees and buildings that may block your view and don’t forget to wrap up warm – meteor hunting is infectious and you might be out for a few hours. A blog about the Geminid meteor shower 2023 will soon be up on our website: https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/space-now-blog/

17^th December – close approach / conjunction of the Moon and Saturn

During the late evening of 17^th December, the waxing crescent moon will be in conjunction (sharing the same right ascension – coordinate) with Saturn. At the time of conjunction, the moon and Saturn will have just set below the south-western horizon. So instead look for the pair in the southern sky that evening from when the sun begins to set up until around 8:00pm when they’ll fall out of view, setting below the horizon. In the early evening they should be high enough in the sky to spot but it’s always helpful to have a clear view without tall buildings and trees to view them easily. They’ll be visible to the naked eye and could be seen together through a pair of binoculars but will be too far separated to be seen within the field of view of a telescope. Check out the astronomical phenomena blog above to find out more about conjunctions and other astronomical phenomena.

22^nd December – winter solstice (3:27am)

In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice (also called the winter solstice) is when the North Pole of the Earth is tilted away from the Sun and it has reached its southernmost position in the sky shining directly over the Tropic of Capricorn making the beginning of northern hemisphere winter in the astronomical calendar. We experience the year's shortest day in terms of daylight hours. Find out more about solstices in this blog by Catherine Muller in our Space Comms team: https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/equinoxes-and-solstices/

22^nd/23^rd December – peak of the Ursid meteor shower

A minor shower, ~ 10 meteors per hour at its peak, produced by dust left behind by comet 8P/Tuttle. The meteors will radiate from the constellation of Ursa Minor (a circumpolar constellation visible all night) but can appear anywhere in the sky. Peaking on the night of the 22^nd and into the morning of the 23^rd with the Moon in its waxing gibbous phase, there will be significant moonlight interference throughout the night, so heading out to a dark location, will give you the best chance of catching a few meteors. The radiant in the north will continue to rise higher into the sky during the early morning of the 23^rd, so it might be best to head out after midnight in the few hours just before sunrise, when the Moon will have finally set below the horizon. A blog about the Ursid meteor shower 2023 will soon be up on our website: https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/space-now-blog/

22^nd December – close approach / conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter

During the early afternoon of 22^nd December, the waxing gibbous moon will be in conjunction (sharing the same right ascension – coordinate) with Jupiter. At the time of conjunction (roughly 14:30pm), the pair will be up in the eastern sky and while the Moon will be easily visible, Jupiter will be drowned out in the daylight. Instead wait a few hours until the sun begins to set and you’ll be able to catch the pair in close approach high in the south east during the evening early. They’ll remain above the horizon until the early hours of the following morning but their separation will increase throughout the night. They’ll be visible to the naked eye and could be seen together through a pair of binoculars but will be too far separated to be seen within the field of view of a telescope. Check out the astronomical phenomena blog above to find out more about conjunctions and other astronomical phenomena.

27^th December – full moon (00:33am)

Known as the Cold moon (according to the old Farmers’ Almanac), it marks the time of year when winter in the Northern hemisphere started to set and the weather became colder. Check out the “Full Moon: Full Facts” blog written by Mike Darch in our Space Comms team: Full Moons and Full Facts (spacecentre.co.uk).

24^th December – Astrobotic Technology – Peregrine Mission 1

Launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida (no earlier than 24^th December and time tbc) on the ULA’s (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan Centaur rocket, the Peregrine lunar lander from Astrobotic Technology it set to become the first successful commercial mission to the Moon. NASA is working with several American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and Astrobotic Technology with its Peregrine Mission 1, will carry several NASA and commercial payloads to the lunar surface. It will also be the Vulcan Centaur's maiden flight - it's a two-stage-to-orbit, heavy-lift launch vehicle.

Please note: As this summary is created at the end of the month before, dates (especially launch dates) can often change or be updated, so this content may become outdated - we always recommend checking on the relevant organisation's pages.