Geminids, Bright Planets, More Reasons To Gaze At Newark Skies

NEWARK, CA — As 2023 slips away, so do the chances for Newark residents to catch a glimpse of a falling star. But talk about a wind-down with the potential to dazzle — the Geminid meteors, with their colorful light trails and fireballs, won’t have to share the sky with the moon.

And that’s just one of several celestial reasons to gaze at the sky this month.

Even before the Geminids peak Dec. 13-14, stargazers can see shooting stars as the Leonid and much-longer running Taurid meteor showers wind down. Arguably the best shooting star show of the year, the Geminids began Nov. 19 and continue through Christmas Eve. The moon will be about 1 percent illuminated for the peak.

Faithful stargazers have said this shower reliably produces numerous bright, intensely colorful meteors before midnight. According to NASA, the Geminids can produce up to 120 meteors an hour at the peak.

Meteor showers aren’t the only reasons to look up at the sky during December. Here are some highlights:

Mercury Rules

The smallest planet in our solar system and the one closest to the sun, Mercury is still shining brightly in the evening sky as it approaches its greatest elongation — that is, its greatest distance from the sun, according to NASA. That occurs at 4 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4, and Mercury will be at 21 degrees from the sun in our sky.

Mercury has been shining brightly in the western sky since mid-November. It will appear dimmer as the month goes along, but should be visible through Dec. 14.

• Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers, Full Moons, Supermoons

Venus will shine bright shortly after midnight Dec. 9, when it will appear about 4 degrees to the left of the waning crescent moon. Venus rises over the southeastern horizon around 12:46 a.m.

Saturn will appear about 3 degrees from the waxing crescent moon on Dec. 17. Look for it to the upper right as twilight ends around 2:51 p.m. The ringed planet will swing clockwise around the moon, setting first on the west-southwestern horizon at around 10:04 p.m.

Super bright Jupiter will appear 8 degrees to the lower left of the waxing gibbous moon at around 2:53 p.m. on Dec. 21.

Earliest Sunset And The Solstice

The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, is on Dec. 21, and it marks the first day of winter (meteorological winter started Dec. 1). The earliest sunset of the year, though, is on Thursday evening, Dec. 7. The sun will set at around 4:45 p.m.

The exact moment of the solstice is 7:27 p.m. On this day, there will be 9 hours, 26 minutes and 13 seconds of daylight.

Bright Stars

A few days before the Geminids peak, on the morning of Dec. 8, the bright star Spica will be 4 degrees below the lower right of the waning crescent moon at around midnight. The bluish star Spica, which means “head of grain” in Latin, is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and one of the 15 brightest in the entire sky.

From Saturday evening to Sunday morning, Dec. 23-24, the Pleiades star cluster will appear near the waxing gibbous moon. Look for it about 6 degrees to the lower left as evening twilight ends at about 2:54 p.m. It will shift clockwise around the moon, appearing about 4 degrees to the upper left when the moon richest its highest point in the sky, around 6:34 p.m. By the time the moon sets on the west-northwestern horizon at around 5:11 a.m., the Pleiades cluster will be less than 2 degrees to the upper right of the orb.

The Full Cold Moon

The December full moon, known as the full cold moon, rises on
Dec. 26, but will appear full and bright on Christmas Day. It reaches peak illumination at 4:33 p.m.

Due to its high trajectory in the sky, the December full moon will be above the horizon longer than most full moons, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

More Meteor Showers

The Ursid meteor shower intersects with the Geminids, running Dec. 13-24 and peaking Dec. 21-22. The Ursids are low-key, with only a sprinkling of meteors an hour.

• Related: 2024 Great American Eclipse May, Ahem, Eclipse 2017

And they intersect with the Quadrantids, potentially the strongest shower of the year, but also one of the hardest to catch. The Quadrantid meteor shower starts Dec. 28 and runs through Jan. 12, 2024. The Jan. 3-4 peak only lasts about six hours, and it’s often too cold at that time of year to spend too much time outside. Under dark skies, you could see 120 meteors an hour.

When the Quadrantids quiet down, meteor showers won’t reappear until spring 2024.