What's Happening in Space: December 2024

A summary of space events through the month

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.

It’s been quite an eventful 2024 with lots happening in space – The National Space Centre will soon have a blog up with the highlights of 2024 which you’ll be able to find here: https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/space-now-blog/

This November keep an eye out for the peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower, the launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket and a full moon!

Throughout December – spot the International Space Station

There may be opportunities throughout December to spot the International Space Station moving across the sky – use NASA’s Spot the Station to find out when and where to see the largest artificial satellite overhead. If you're visiting the Space Centre this week, you could spot it as you leave – look south towards The Dock/city centre and the ISS will appear to move across the sky from west (Abbey Lane) to south-east (Abbey Meadows).

Mon Dec 2, 4:42 PM      6 min    34°         10° above W                      10° above SE   

Tue Dec 3, 5:31 PM        4 min    14°         10° above WSW              10° above S      

Wed Dec 4, 4:42 PM      5 min    20°         10° above W                      10° above SSE

1^st December / 30^th December – new moon (06:21 / 22:26)

The new moon will occur in the constellation of Scorpius at the start of the month and in the constellation of Sagittarius at the end of the month. The lack of moonlight interference provides a great time to try and view deep sky objects (especially with the aid of binoculars and telescopes). We have a blog on ‘phases of the moon’ written by Mike Darch in our Education team: https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/moon-phases/  With two new moons in a single calendar month – the second is known as a black moon!

 7^th December – Jupiter at opposition

Because Earth and Jupiter have different orbits and orbital speeds, the distance between them is constantly changing. On 7 December, appearing in the constellation of Taurus (close to the red star Aldebaran), Jupiter will be on the opposite side of the Earth compared to the Sun so it will roughly be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. The Sun, Earth, and Jupiter will be in ‘syzygy’ or a roughly straight-line configuration. At the time of opposition, Jupiter will be brighter than at any other time of the year and will be up all night long making it the best time to view and photograph the planet. Catch the spectacle from the late evening on 7 December – it will rise in the east and set in the west the following morning so ideally look towards the south around midnight. It will be visible to the naked eye but a pair of binoculars or a telescope will help you see more details like the Galilean moons. Check out the astronomical phenomena blog above to find out more about oppositions and other astronomical phenomena.

8^th December – Moon and Saturn close in the sky

On the morning of 8^th December, the first quarter moon will be in conjunction (sharing the same right ascension – coordinate) with Saturn and the pair will be at their closest angular separation (close approach) around the same time. From the UK, they’ll be below the horizon only rising later in the day, so won’t be visible at that time. Instead try and catch the pair as the Sun sets in the afternoon when they’ll be in close proximity in the southern sky. The pair will be observable form around sunset but will get further apart as the night unfolds and they move closer to the western horizon to set. As such, clear views without tall buildings or trees that may block your view, will make spotting them easier. They should remain observable until around 22:30. While they won’t be close enough to fit within the field of view of a telescope, they will be visible to the naked eye and earlier in the evening through a pair of binoculars. Check out the astronomical phenomena blog linked above to find out more about conjunctions and close approaches.

14^th December – Moon and Jupiter close in the sky

On the evening of 14^th December, Jupiter will be in conjunction (sharing the same right ascension – coordinate) with the waxing gibbous moon. They will also be at their closest angular separation (close approach) shortly before and will be high above the eastern horizon at this time, so should be easily visible. Wait until after sunset and look to the east to find the pair in the constellation of Taurus. The duo will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope or a pair of binoculars but will be visible to the naked eye. Check out the astronomical phenomena blog linked above to find out more about conjunctions and close approaches.

15^th December – full moon (09:01)

Known as the Cold moon (according to the old Farmers’ Almanac), this full moon is named to mark 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 Education team to find out more about full moons: https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/full-moon-facts/.

21^st December – winter solstice (9:20)

In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice (also called the winter solstice) is when during its yearly orbit, the North Pole of the Earth becomes tilted away from the Sun and our star reaches its southernmost position in the sky being directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. This marks the beginning of northern hemisphere winter in the astronomical calendar. We experience the year's shortest day in terms of daylight, but from this point on, daylight hours will gradually increase as we head back towards summer. Find out more about solstices in this blog by Catherine Muller previously in our Space Comms team: https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/equinoxes-and-solstices/

21^st-22^nd December – peak of the Ursid meteor shower

The Ursids are 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 21^st and into the morning of the 22^nd with the Moon almost in its last quarter phase, there will be some 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 22^nd therefore it might be best to head out after midnight in the few hours just before sunrise. Find out more in our Ursid meteor shower 2024 blog: https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/space-now-blog/ursid-meteor-shower-2024/

December – New Glenn debut launch

New Glenn is a heavy-lift rocket developed by Blue Origin. It is named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth and has been designed to deliver larger payloads to orbit. This maiden flight of the New Glenn launch vehicle will be carrying the prototype Blue Ring payload tug and payload hoisting platform (a spacecraft platform capable of refuelling, transporting, and hosting satellites). Additionally, this mission will serve as New Glenn's first National Security Space Launch certification flight. Blue Origin will attempt to land the first stage booster on its sea-based landing platform, ‘Jacklyn.’ The launch has seen delays, but it is due to take-off before the end of the year from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. New Glenn will help reduce the cost of space exploration and improve access to space. Find out more about the New Glenn launch vehicle in this blog written by Ed Turner in our Education team: https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/space-now-blog/new-glenn-blue-origins-flagship-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.