What to See in December's Night Sky (2021)

Monthly guide for what to see in December 2021 including comets, planets, meteor showers and more!

Decembers Moon Phases

In December, winter sets in and the Full Moon is called the Cold Moon. It is also called Long Nights Moon and the Moon before Yule.

Full Moon and New Moon for December 2021

December 2021 New Moon
Sat 4th Dec

December 2021 First Quarter
Sat 11th Dec

December 2021 Full Moon
Sun 19th Dec

December 2021 Last Quarter
Mon 27th Dec

Notable Events in December

Predicted to be the brightest comet of the year, comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) should be visible with binoculars, and it may become a naked-eye comet!

December Planets

Six planets of the Solar System will be visible throughout December 2021, with a beautiful planetary parade occurring over the Christmas holidays.

Jupiter, Saturn and Venus are visible throughout December, but the best time to see the 6-planet parade will be from 28 December to 3 January, 30 minutes after sunset.

Mercury is also visible beneath Venus; however, it may be too low on the horizon for most viewers in the UK. Mercury and Venus need a low, flat southwest horizon and will be best seen through binoculars. Take care that the Sun has set properly before looking, though, as observing the Sun through binoculars will seriously damage your eyes.

Neptune is a binocular planet, too, which is easy to locate. Follow the line from Saturn to Jupiter and extend it the same distance to find Neptune.

Mars returns in December as an early morning planet, visible from around 6.30 am low on the southeastern horizon. Viewers in northern latitudes may have difficulty due to the low position. However, this improves from January into February.

December Meteor Showers

The annual Geminid Meteor Shower takes place in December, with the peak on the 13th. It