What to look out for during this observing period
In this issue...
What’s in the sky?
80 Wrap up warm for those long, cold nights of winter observing
82Planetarium
Where you can find the planets this month and the phases of the Moon
Month’s planets
84 Most of the Solar System’s planets will be visible in the evening, while Venus is a dazzling morning object
Moon tour
86 Even at its lesser phase, our natural satellite is worth looking at in its own right
Naked eye and
87 binocular targets
Brave the cold and find some of the wonders waiting for you among the stars of Taurus
Deep sky challenge
88 Track down some lesser known wonders on the next clear and frosty night
The Northern
90 Hemisphere
There’s an impressive array of targets to enjoy, including galaxies, nebulae and vibrant double stars
92Review
We put the Canon EOS Ra camera to the test
In the shops
96 Our pick of the best gifts and accessories for astronomy and space fans
4 DECEMBER
Mercury is at its greatest separation from the Sun in the morning sky at -0.5
9 DECEMBER
The December Monocerotid meteor shower reaches its peak
22 DECEMBER
The Moon and Jupiter make a close approach, passing within 2°22’ of each other in Aries
6 DECEMBER
Neptune reaches the end of its retrograde motion
9 DECEMBER
The Moon and Venus make a close approach, within 3°18’ of each other in Virgo
22 DECEMBER
Asteroid 9 Metis reaches opposition in Gemini, glowing at magnitude +8.4
6 DECEMBER
The December Phi Cassiopeid meteor shower reaches its peak
10 DECEMBER
Mercury is at its greatest altitude in the evening sky, shining at magnitude -0.5
14 DECEMBER
The Geminid
