You don't need a telescope to admire the majesty of our planetary neighborhood.
Planets like Jupiter and Venus reflect bounties of light from the sun — and unlike stars, the vivid planets don't twinkle. These beacons are among the brightest objects in the sky, and December 2024 provides excellent viewing opportunities (when the fickle clouds behave, that is).
"This month, Venus dazzles as the 'Evening Star,' Jupiter reaches its brightest for the year, and the Geminid meteor shower peaks under challenging moonlit skies," NASA wrote online.
How to see Venus
Venus is the third brightest celestial object in the night sky (behind the sun and moon). The hellish planet isn't just Earth's closest planetary neighbor. It's permanently covered in thick 12-mile-high clouds, which reflect lots of sunlight. You can't miss it.
"Venus is hard to miss in the southwest after sunset – it's that dazzling bright 'Evening Star,'" NASA explained.
Although a rocky world about the same size of Earth, Venus is still wildly different. Suffocated and heated by greenhouse gases, its surface reaches pizza oven-like temperatures of some 870 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, the surface pressure, at some 90 times greater than on Earth, is crushing.
How to see Jupiter
Jupiter, a gas giant planet containing over twice the mass of all other planets in our solar system combined, will also be a brilliant presence. Jupiter reaches its peak brightness of the year in December, and is visible all night.
"You’ll find it rising in the east-northeast as darkness falls, among the stars of the constellation Taurus," NASA said.
Jupiter contains a whopping 95 known moons, including the fascinating world Europa, which harbors an icy ocean beneath its cracked shell. With binoculars or a telescope, you can often spot Jupiter's four largest moons.
How to see Mars
The red desert planet, though it lacks the profoundly reflective atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter, "will also be putting on its own show," NASA noted.
As Mars draws closer to Earth, it will double in brightness in December.
"Early in the month, it rises about four hours after dark, but by New Year’s Eve, it’s rising just about 90 minutes after sunset — always shining with its distinctive reddish hue. And on Dec. 17, you’ll find the Red Planet super close to the Moon, which will be just two days past its full phase," the space agency explained.
Other notable skywatching events
- The Winter Triangle: The vivid stars Sirius (the brightest night time star), Procyon, and the red supergiant Betelgeuse form a prominent equilateral triangle throughout winter. Betelgeuse is the red shoulder of the constellation Orion.
- Geminid meteor shower: This typically great meteor shower peaks in the early morning of Dec. 14, but many of the shooting stars will be washed out by a full moon. "Still, the Geminids are known for bright meteors, and it’s common to spot their shooting stars up to a week before the peak," NASA said.
- Winter Solstice: The longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on Dec. 21. Welcome, officially, to winter.
