Winter solstice arrives on Dec. 21 at 10 a.m.
This is the official first day of winter in the northern hemisphere when the sun is at its lowest above the southern horizon at noon — 26 ½ degrees above the horizon at our latitude of 39 degrees north.
Sky-watchers have longer nights in which to delight in the sky’s wonders this month and into the next.
Saturn is easy to spot in the south-southwest sky all month and, until the crescent moon arrives on Dec. 16, will be the brightest object there.
Neptune also can be seen with binoculars using Saturn as a guide, looking slightly up and left of the ringed planet.
Saturn’s rings seen edge on most recently will appear to open slightly this month (seen through a telescope).
Jupiter rises about 8 p.m. in the eastern sky, brightening and growing in size all month.
We are moving closer to Jupiter as we orbit the sun right now.
We will be at our closest to the giant planet since last year in January 2026.
Look for a waning gibbous moon standing just above and left of Jupiter on Dec. 8.
The longer nights this month will allow sky-watchers with telescopes to see the entire surface of Jupiter in one night as it rotates in just 10 hours.
Venus and Mars are close to conjunction with the sun and are not visible this month, but the Geminid meteor shower peaks on Dec. 14.
The Geminid meteor shower is known for bright meteors and some of the best meteor showers of the year, with as many as 100 meteors per hour.
The best time to look is from midnight to 3 a.m. toward Gemini, high up 70 degrees in the southern sky.
A waning crescent moon may interfere somewhat with viewing, but only for the dimmer meteors.