What’s Up This First Week of December

It looks like the forecast is calling for some rainy and snowy nights ahead – perhaps some partially clear skies heading into the weekend. Sunset this week is right around 5 PM so be ready for dark skies suitable for stargazing by around 5:30 PM. The temperatures, once the sun has dipped below the horizon, will fall into the 30s and even into the 20s on some nights. If there are any gaps in the clouds, be on the lookout for a fleeting glimpse of Mercury, the third-quarter moon, a rising icon of the winter sky: Orion, and a Venus-moon meetup.

Since Christmas and several cloudy nights are coming up, you can spend some time browsing the internet for stargazing gifts. I will include a short section of sites with good options for beginner/intermediate stargazing gifts.

On Monday, December 4th, the innermost planet, Mercury will be at its greatest eastern elongation. In other words, Mercury will be at its highest point in the sky trailing the sun. This makes it an the best time to observe this elusive solar system object. Since Mercury orbits relatively close to the sun, the only opportunities to see it are very shortly after the sun sets, or right before the sun rises (if Mercury is leading the sun, for example). You’ll be able to catch the planet very low in the southwest skies between about 5:30 PM and 6 PM. A telescope is the best option for viewing, and a very clear southwest horizon is critical, but be very careful not to point your scope at the sun if you set it up before the sun has completely set!

Mercury will appear to the left of the point of sunset.

The day after, Tuesday, December 5th, will be the third quarter moon. If you are more of a “deep-space” stargazer or astrophotographer, this is always a good time of the month since the illuminated side of the moon, and its consequential light pollution appears smaller and smaller heading into the new moon. If you do wish to observe the moon, you’ll have to wait until around midnight to see it start rising in the east.

Around 8 PM any time this week, look low in the eastern skies to spot the Orion constellation poking up above the southeast horizon. This constellation and all of its nebulae and other deep-sky treasures are icons of the winter nighttime skies. Some of the most photographed deep-sky objects can be found within the Orion region, including the Orion Nebula, the Horsehead Nebula, and the supernova candidate star, Betelgeuse. This region of the sky is perfect for stargazers of all levels, it includes easily spotted objects by eye (again the Orion Nebula, the belt stars of Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, and contains parts of the Milky Way arms) all the way to advanced astrophotography objects (Witch Head Nebula, Barnard’s Loop, and Messier Object 78).

Orion as it will appear at around 8:30 PM this week.

M78, also known as Casper the Friendly Ghost Nebula, contains mostly dusty dark nebula regions, but also some faint blue reflection nebula components.

Next Saturday, December 9th, try catching a Venus-moon meetup in the eastern skies between 3 AM and 8 AM. These two objects will appear to be separated by only around 3 degrees. A pair of binoculars or even the naked eye is perfect for viewing this event.

The moon meets up with Venus before dawn on December 9.

A great “starter” scope: The Orion SkyScanner.

With all the rainy nights coming up, instead of trying to peek through the clouds, try browsing around for stargazing/astronomy Christmas gifts for friends and family who might enjoy them! Among the most popular and affordable brands for telescopes are Celestron (https://www.celestron.com/) and Orion (https://www.telescope.com/). These sites have great and simple-to-use telescopes for anyone just getting into exploring the night sky. Orion also offers magazine subscriptions that are very informative about what’s up in the sky, new telescopes, and techniques for observing and imaging the night sky. Or perhaps the ideal gift is offering your friends and family a ride to the John Glenn Astronomy Park for views of the skyscape under some of the darkest skies in the state of Ohio 😉.[Image: This is just one of many varieties of telescopes that Orion offers. This one in particular is a simple tabletop reflector that is perfect for someone just getting into stargazing.
https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-SkyScanner-100mm-TableTop-Reflector-Telescope/rc/2160/p/102007.uts

Get outside and enjoy the potentially few clear nights coming up later this week. Be sure to dress very warm to have the most comfortable stargazing experience. With sunset so early this time of year, the night sky is very accessible – one can come home from work, have dinner, then head straight outside to spend time under the stars…no need to wait until 10 PM for dark skies like in the summer months. Get some astronomy gift shopping done then head outside to look for Mercury “high” in the east, the waning moon, the Orion region of the sky, and Venus and the moon hanging out in the early mornings.

Clear Skies!

What's Up: December 4-10, 2023 Jared May