Important December 2024 Dates


1st • NEW MOON (1:21 a.m. EST).

1st • CCAS Monthly Observing Session, Myrick Conservancy Center, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance. The observing session starts at sunset. Last regularly scheduled monthly session until March 2024.

4th • The Moon passes 2° south of Venus, 6 p.m. EST.

5th • Mercury is in inferior conjunction, 9 p.m. EST.

7th • Jupiter is at opposition, 4 p.m. EST.

8th • The Moon passes 0.3° north of Saturn, 4 a.m. EST.

8th • FIRST QUARTER MOON (10:26 a.m. EST).

9th • The Moon passes 0.8° north of Neptune, 4 a.m. EST.

10th • Mercury passes 7° north of Antares, 6 a.m. EST.

10th • CCAS Annual Holiday Party, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, West Chester, PA. The gathering starts at 6:00 p.m. EST.

12th-14th • Northern Taurid Meteor Shower Peaks. Active from October 20th to December 10th, the northern Taurids generally produce rates of only 5-10 per hour. They are notorious for spectacular fireballs that have led many astronomers to believe the meteor stream contains a large percentage of large pieces generally not present in other showers.

13th • The Moon passes 4° north of Uranus, 5 a.m. EST.

13th-14th • Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower usually occurs around December 13th & 14th, although some meteors should be visible from December 6th through the 19th. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location.

14th • The Moon passes 5° north of Jupiter, 3 p.m. EST.

15th • FULL MOON (4:01 a.m. EST).

18th • The Moon passes 0.9° north of Mars, 4 a.m. EST.

20th • Open call for articles and photographs for the January 2025 edition of Observations.

21st • Winter Solstice (4 a.m. EST) - The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

21st • Mercury passes 7° north of Antares, 7 p.m. EST.

21st-22nd • Ursid Meteor Shower Peaks. The point from where the Ursid meteors appear to come from is located within the constellation Ursa Minor, also known as the "Little Dipper." This meteor shower is active during the period spanning December 17 to 26, but it peaks on December 21st-22nd. At maximum, rates can normally reach 10 per hour. The meteor shower is produced by the periodic comet 8P/Tuttle and can occasionally experience short-lived outbursts of up to 100 meteors per hour.

22nd • THIRD QUARTER MOON (5:18 p.m. EST).

24th • Mercury is at greatest western elongation (22°), 10 p.m. EST.

26th • Deadline for newsletter submissions for the January 2025 edition of Observations.

28th • The Moon passes 6° south of Mercury, 11 p.m. EST.

30th • NEW MOON (5:26 p.m. EST).