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The astronomy calendar for 2020 has been filled with celestial events, with supermoons, eclipses, rare Blue Moons, meteor showers, and even UFO-like satellite streams. As we move into the last month of the year, December still has a few goodies in store for skygazers.
This December will see two meteor showers, a winter solstice, a planetary conjunction, a full moon, and even a total solar eclipse, depending on where you are in the world.
Here’s a full rundown of everything to expect for the coming month.
Gemini meteors December 13
The Geminids 2020 are set to be one of the best meteor showers of the year.
Culminating on the night of December 13 and early in the morning of December 14, the shower will be visible for almost two weeks from December 4 to 16.
Geminid meteor shower will deliver up to 50 meteors per hour in 2020
(Getty Images / iStockphoto)
It will appear visible all over the world, although the best representation of the show is in the Northern Hemisphere.
Its top coincides with a new moon, so meteors will appear very bright in the night sky without the moon’s light pollution. Expect to see up to 50 meteors per hour, with the best time to look usually around 2 a.m.
Total solar eclipse of December 14
The moon will pass directly in front of the sun, forming a total solar eclipse on December 14.
Unfortunately, the spectacle will only be visible to residents of certain parts of the southern hemisphere.
The final 2020 solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the southern hemisphere
(Getty Images / iStockphoto)
The Path of Totality runs through a thin slice of South America, crossing the southern regions of Argentina and Chile.
A partial eclipse will be visible in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador, as well as parts of Antarctica and southwestern Africa.
Ursid meteors December 21
The last meteor shower of the year will coincide with the winter solstice, peaking on December 21.
Anyone looking at the night sky between December 17 and December 26 could also catch an Ursid meteor, commonly known as a shooting star.
Even at its peak, it won’t be a match for the Geminid rain, with only between 5 and 10 meteors expected per hour.
Winter Solstice December 21
Of particular significance is the shortest day of the year for the Paegans, who will gather at Stone Henge in the UK to celebrate the return of the longer days.
The 2020 winter solstice falls on December 21
(Getty Images / iStockphoto)
But the day is also important to astronomers in the northern hemisphere, who will be able to enjoy the longest night of the year – weather permitting.
Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn December 21
The winter solstice will also welcome what is known as the Great Conjunction, when the two largest planets in our solar system come together in the night sky.
The December event will be the closest large conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 397 years, with the two planets approaching within 0.1 degrees of each other – about one-fifth the diameter of the moon.
The rare event can be seen by looking west just after sunset, where the two planets will appear to form a bright double planet.
Full moon December 30
The last full moon of the year, also known as the cold moon, will be on December 30.
Images of the moon show traces left by astronauts
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Being so close to the winter solstice, the full moon in December will be surrounded by the darkest sky of any full moon this year.
According to the 2020 astronomical calendar, the December full moon will actually be the 13th full moon of the year.
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