21/12/2025
FOUR NIGHTS OF DECEMBER SKY MAGIC
From solstice sunsets to year‑ending lunar pairings, the last days of December 2025 line up four beautiful events that any stargazer can enjoy with just their eyes and a dark horizon.
December 21 – Winter Solstice
The winter solstice arrives on December 21, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere around 15:03 UTC.
Use the extended darkness to watch the low Sun set and then scan the early night for bright stars and planets while Earth’s axis reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
December 22 – Ursid Meteor Peak
The Ursid meteor shower, born from comet 8P/Tuttle, peaks on the night of December 21–22 with roughly 5–10 meteors per hour under dark skies.
With only a thin crescent Moon, this final shower of 2025 gives a good chance to catch slow, graceful “shooting stars” radiating from near the Little Dipper.
December 26 – Moon Meets Saturn
On December 26 the waxing Moon glows near Saturn in the evening sky, separated by only a few degrees and visible for hours after sunset.
Look to the southwest after dusk to see the crescent or half‑lit Moon hanging beside the ringed planet, a striking sight in binoculars as Titan and the ring system come into view.
December 31 – Moon With Pleiades
New Year’s Eve features the bright Moon sliding close to the Pleiades star cluster, and for many in North Africa, Europe, and North America, the Moon will even occult some of the cluster’s stars.
Around local evening to midnight, face east and watch the Moon approach the tight mini‑dipper of the Seven Sisters, a beautiful binocular target to close out 2025.
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