Astronomy News for the Month of December 2024

Excerpts from JPL mission updates are provided as a public service as part of the JPL Solar System Ambassador/NASA Outreach program. For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador website. (Click on the logo to link to the JPL SSA homepage.)

"Jupiter looks finest when at opposition, and this year promises to be particularly dazzling. The Hubble Space Telescope snapped this shot of the gas giant just before opposition in 2017." Astronomy Magazine, December 2024, p. 28. - NASA, ESA and A. Simon (NASA Goddard)

The Month At-A-Glance
A calendar displaying the daily astronomical events.

(Times are Mountain Daylight Time (MDT/MST) unless otherwise noted. Times will vary slightly depending on your location.)

Planetary Highlights for December "Jupiter reaches its best apparition in a decade for northern observers and offers a wealth of detail. Joining in late evening is brilliant Mars, now a month from opposition. Saturn is visible in the early evening, along with Venus soon after sunset. Uranus and Neptune remain visible with binoculars, and Mercury makes a fine morning appearance." Astronomy Magazine, December 2024, p. 28.
	Mercury Is in inferior conjunction on the 5th. Mercury is stationary on the 15th. Mercury is at greatest western elongation (22°) on the 24th. Mercury sets at 5:10 p.m. on the 1st. After conjunction, Mercury returns to the morning sky. Mercury rises about 5:49 a.m. by month's end. Mercury is visible about 30 minutes before sunrise just above the southeastern horizon after the second week of December. Mercury is in the constellation of Ophiuchus shining at magnitude -0.4 on the 31st.
	Venus Sets about 7:37 p.m. on the 1st and about 8:37 p.m. by month's end. Look for Venus to the southwest about 30 minutes after sunset. Venus moves from the constellation of Sagittarius into Aquarius shining at magnitude -4.3 on the 15th.
	Earth Winter solstice occurs at 4:21 A.M. EST on the 21st.
	Mars Rises at 8:31 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:02 p.m. by month's end. Mars is stationary on the 7th. Look for Mars to the southeast in the evening. Follow Mars across the sky almost all night long. Mars is in the constellation of Cancer shining at magnitude -0.8.
	Jupiter Is at opposition on the 7th, rising as the Sun sets. Jupiter rises at 4:56 p.m. on the 1st and about 2:39 p.m. by month's end. Jupiter is easy to spot to the east in the evening sky. Follow Jupiter across the sky for the rest of the evening and into the early morning hours. Jupiter is in the constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude -2.8.
	Saturn Sets at 11:48 p.m. on the 1st and about 9:54 p.m. by month's end. By the time the Sun sets, Saturn is high to the southwest. Saturn is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 1.0.
	Uranus Sets at 5:54 a.m. on the 1st and about 3:47 a.m. by month's end. Look for Uranus to the south soon after sunset. Uranus is in the constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude 5.6.
	Neptune Sets at 1:04 a.m. on the 1st and about 10:59 p.m. by the month's end. Look for Neptune to the southwest following Saturn by less than 90 minutes all month. Neptune is in the constellation of Pisces shining at magnitude 7.7.
	Dwarf Planets
	Ceres Sets at 7:42 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:41 p.m. by month's end. Ceres is visible in the evening sky to the southwest. Ceres moves from the constellation of Sagittarius into Capricornus shining at magnitude 9.3.
	Pluto Sets at 8:05 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:07 p.m. by month's end. Pluto is visible in the evening sky to the southwest. Pluto is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude 15.3. As always, good luck at spotting Neptune, Ceres and Pluto, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed. Constellation information provided by Go Astronomy.

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Astronomical Events

	Meteor Showers The Geminids - This shower is active during the period December 6 to December 19. Upon reaching maximum activity during December 13 to 14, hourly rates are typically near 80. The meteors are described as rapid and yellowish, with about 4% displaying persistent trains. They possess an average magnitude of 2.4. The Ursids - Occurring primarily between December 17 and 24, this meteor shower reaches maximum on December 22... The maximum hourly rate is usually between 10 and 15... Meteors belonging to this stream are typically faint. Meteor Shower Radiant Report For more information about Meteor Showers, visit Gary Kronk's Meteor Showers Online web page. Meteor Scatter (or Meteor burst communications) - "is a radio propagation mode that exploits the ionized trails of meteors during atmospheric entry to establish brief communications paths between radio stations up to 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) apart." Tune your shortwave or your HF amateur radio to 54.310 MHz SSB and see if you can hear any pings. Try other frequencies as well... 6m FT8 digital - 50.313 Mhz & 50.276 Mhz, JP-65 digital mode and the carrier frequencies of the lower VHF bands for TV channels 2, 3 & 4. Meteor Rx How-To by Terry Bullett (WØASP)
	Comets Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has dimmed to 8th magnitude this month. You'll need a clear western horizon and dark skies to spot the comet about 90 minutes after sunset. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS moves along the southwestern horizon passing through the constellation of Aquila. For information, orbital elements and ephemerides on observable comets, visit Observable Comets. For more information about Comets, visit Gary Kronk's Cometography.com webpage.
	Eclipses Solar Eclipses No solar eclipse activity this month. Lunar Eclipses No lunar eclipse activity this month.
	Observational Opportunities Look for Venus, Ceres and Pluto in the evening to the southwest. Look for Comet Tsuchinshan in the evening to the southwest. Look for Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter in the evening to the south and east. Look for Mars in the late evening and early morning to the east. Look for Mercury in the early morning to the east after mid-month.
	Asteroids (From west to east) Iris is in the constellation of Aquarius. Eunomia is at opposition on the 14th in the constellation of Auriga. Irene is in the constellation of Gemini. Vesta is in the constellation of Virgo. Information about the Minor Planets can be found at the Minor Planet Observer website.
	Ocultations Information on various occultations can be found by clicking the IOTA logo.

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Member Meteor Sightings

In this section I will post meteor, fireball, etc sightings that have been published on the American Meteor Society's web site. I want to make this an active section of the web pages and newsletter and would like to publish the links to member sightings. If you have any published sightings, please provide me with the links and I will post them here for all to enjoy.

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Subscriber Gallery

I have created a web page containing images taken and submitted by subscribers (or special images) to the email newsletter, check-ins to the Colorado Astronomy Net and readers of the online newsletter. Any one wishing to submit their own images to the gallery, please let me know. The images must be taken by the submitter and be astronomy related. Please include a description and your information so that I can give proper credit to your work.

Featured Images

Our Sun
Courtesy of Bryan Gunsher (K6SKI)
Images taken November 2024



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Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions

(Excerpts from recent JPL mission updates)

	JPL LATEST NEWS The Latest from Space The Origin of JPL (a Youtube video-1 Hour 29 minutes).
	JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE Information on the James Webb Space Telescope mission is available at The James Webb Space Telescope website. The public can follow the mission on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
	JUNO Information on the Juno mission is available at Juno and Mission Juno. Images from NASA's JunoCam. The public can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter.
	TESS Information on the TESS mission can be found on the Latest Tess Stories page.

Past, Present, Future and Proposed JPL Missions.

For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador web site.

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Mars Missions

Be A Martian



Mars website mobile version is here!

	Mars on the Go! NASA Be A Martian Mobile App If you want the latest news as it happens, try out the "Be A Martian" app. Download on Mobile Devices Android | iPhone | Windows Phone
	JMARS JMARS is an acronym that stands for Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing. It is a geospatial information system (GIS) developed by ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility to provide mission planning and data-analysis tools to NASA's orbiters, instrument team members, students of all ages, and the general public.
	Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics "The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) began in 1948, a decade before NASA. We are the world's only research institute to have sent instruments to all eight planets and Pluto.
	LASP Visit the LASP website for latest news and information.
	MAVEN Visit the MAVEN website for latest news and information.
	MARS 2020 - PERSEVERENCE Visit the Mars 2020 (Perseverance) mission website for mission information and news updates.
	MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY - CURIOSITY Visit the Mars Science Laboratory website for mission information and news updates.
	MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER MISSION Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE Images View all of the archived HiRISE images here. More information about the MRO mission is available online.
	MARS ODYSSEY Daily Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images Can be found at the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) website. Visit the Mars Odyssey Mission website for mission information and news updates.
	MARS MISSIONS STATUS New Mars missions are being planned to include several new rover and sample collection missions. Check out the Mars Exploration website.

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Astronomy Links and Other Space News

(If you have a link you would like to recommend to our readers, please feel free to submit it.)



Colorado Astronomy Links

• Brighton Astronomy Group - Astronomy in Brighton, Colorado (under construction).

• Cloudbait Observatory, Guffey Colorado - Submit your fireball reports here. Interesting, knowledgeable site.

• Colorado Springs Astronomical Society - The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society (CSAS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enjoyment of the nighttime sky.

• Denver Astronomical Society - The Deep Space Exploration Society is a Colorado based nonprofit organization dedicated to practical astronomy and space science education for students, the general public, and society members.

• Deep Space Exploration Society - Promotes the enjoyment and understanding of astronomical phenomena, history and lore by providing educational and observing opportunities for our members, general public, and outreach activities at the University of Denver's historic Chamberlin Observatory, schools, and nature centers.

• Little Thompson Observatory - Begin or sustain your interest in astronomy at LTO! The night sky is wondrous, filled with countless swirling galaxies, the planets, the moon and so much more. Many of these sights are easily visible from Earth, but few people have witnessed them personally.

  The Little Thompson Observatory can change that for you. Our mission is to help people of all ages learn about the universe by offering a first-hand experience with astronomy...

• National Space Science & Technology Institute - NSSTI runs the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

• Northern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Northern Colorado Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the science of astronomy and to encourage and coordinate activities of amateur astronomers.

• Rocky Mountain Star Stare - The Premier Star Party in The Rocky Mountains

• SkyWatchers - Coal Creek Canyon Sky Watchers - Coal Creek Canyon Sky Watchers is an astronomy and space exploration group that features expert presenters on topics such as the exploration of the Moon, Mars and other planets, international space exploration missions, as well as other astronomy topics. We established Sky Watchers in 2014 and usually have about 35 attendees at our meetings.

• Southern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Southern Colorado Astronomical Society, CSU-P and the Pueblo Nature and Raptor Center welcomes everyone to participate in the discovery of our night sky.

• Star Cruiser Bill's Astrophotography - Great astrophotography from Aurora Colorado.

• Star Light-Star Bright Observatory - The observatory is part of the nonprofit National Space Science & Technology Institute's education and public outreach program.

  The goal of the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory, is to put the universe within reach of primary grade students and their teachers; along with being an educational asset for the community. The observatory is an educational project that was established in 2004 to serve young and old alike and provides the only free access to viewing the universe in the Pikes Peak Region.

Radio Astronomy Links

• AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, or AMSAT, is a worldwide group of Amateur Radio Operators (Hams)... AMSAT's goal is to foster Amateur Radio's participation in space research and communication.

• National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NRAO - Radio Astronomy news and information.

• Radio JOVE Project - Radio JOVE students and amateur scientists observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy.

• Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers - The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information, and do their own observations of the radio sky.

More Astronomy Links

• "TheSky" - Astronomy Software by Software Bisque. It's where discoveries are made. Where astronomers unravel the mysteries and reveal the beauty of space. At the heart of this search lies Software Bisque and its family of precision-crafted robotic telescope mounts, astronomy software solutions and embedded systems. Tools that help quench the astronomers' thirst for scientific breakthrough and personal enrichment the world over.

• A Sea of Stars - Voyages of a Merchant Mariner & Amateur Astronomer - I'm a retired Navy veteran, currently sailing with the US Navy's Military Sealift Command as an Operations Chief. My dominant interests are science (esp. astronomy), history and photography, and I enjoy naval and military wargaming WHEN I can find the time.

• A Short Guide to Celestial Navigation - Celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one's geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial objects — sun, moon, planets, or stars.

• The ARRL - Amateur Radio Relay League - Information about amateur radio and how to become an amateur radio operator.

• American Meteor Society - Provides amateur observers a place to learn about and report meteor, fireball and related sightings.

• AstroBackyard - Welcome to the AstroBackyard Backyard of the Week! This is a place where we honor the hard work and dedication put into building an astrophotography rig to capture the glorious night sky. There are many ways to tackle this hobby, with varying types of telescopes, cameras, and mounts with one thing in common — they produce results!

• Astrogirl Homepage - Astrogirl.org exists to educate, encourage and promote the hobby of amateur astronomy to people of all ages. It is the goal of this site to provide relevant information and resources to the amateur astronomer as an aid in their enjoyment of the night sky. It is a family-friendly, educational site and has been rated as a safe site for all ages.

• Astronomia - Online web applications that use catalogues of astronomical objects. Applications and their description are also prepared in English.

• Astronomy Picture of the Day - Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

• Astronomy Resources - This site has some good links a young, interested student wishes to share.

• Beginners Guide To Astrophotography - A Quick & Easy Tutorial Of How To Take DSLR Astro Photography

• Be an Astronomer right from your Window - At-home astronomy techniques.

• Black Hole Encyclopedia - Excellent site from StarDate - University of Texas McDonald Observatory

• Caelum Observatory - The LARGEST dedicated public telescope in the Southwest at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter!

• Celestron Telescopes - Celestron telescopes.

• Citizen Science - Citizen Science Projects - NASA's citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public.

• Clear Skies Observing Guides - CSOG, short for Clear Skies Observing Guides is a new concept in visual amateur astronomy. It is a digital publication that will enable observers to target all deepsky objects and carbon stars within reach of their equipment.

• The Constellations of the Night Sky - Good site for finding out more about the 88 constellations and their associated stars. Links to the constellations mentioned in the newsletter can be found on this page.

• CosmoQuest - The place where you map other worlds, explore out universe and contribute to science.

• Distant Suns - Desktop Astronomy package for PCs.

• Dwarf II Smart Telescope - Introducing DWARF II - the world's most portable smart telescope controlled by the mobile app DWARFLAB.

• EarthSky - Astronomy news.

• Go Astronomy - Links to constellations, noted in this newsletter, as well as to promote and educate people about amateur astronomy.

• Heavens-Above - As the name implies - What's up in the heavens, particularly satellite passes.

• The International Dark-Sky Association - To preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies.

• informED: 10 Teaching Tools for Educators - informED - Teacher Resources.

• Isa's Astrophotography Atelier - Isabel Streit's exceptional astrophotography web page.

• iTelescope.net - iTelescope.Net is the world's premier network of Internet connected telescopes, allowing members to take astronomical images of the night sky for the purposes of education, scientific research and astrophotography.

• JPL Solar System Ambassador Program - "Volunteers Bringing the Solar System to the Public"

• JPL Solar System - Jet Propulsion Laboratory information on our solar system.

• K8JTK.ORG - Welcome to the home page of Jeffrey Kopcak. You will find pages and posts I wrote about my hobbies, interests, projects, and things I'm involved in.

• Kids Space Center - Telescopes and Astronomy - Another site suggested by a young student - Great info about telescopes.

• Mars Exploration, Mars Rovers Information, Facts, News, Photos - National Geographic - Mars Exploration - Investigating the Red Planet.

• Meade Advanced Products Users Group - Mapug-Astronomy Topical Archive & information resource, containing a massive 335 page archive of discussions about Meade equipment, and much more: observatories, observing lists, permanent piers, equatorial wedges, remote operations, software, eyepieces, etc.

• NASA - Lunar and Planetary Science - General information, Missions to Comets, Data, Press Releases, Meteors and Meteorites, Other topics of Interest.

• NASA Science News - NASA missions, updates, astronomy news, excellent resource.

• National Archives info on space exploration - Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) - Space Exploration - Information about the United States' space flight programs, including NASA missions and the astronauts who participate in the efforts to explore space.

• Navigating the Stars: A Young Learner's Guide to Astronomy - A Young Learner's Guide to Astronomy

• Phys.org - Science News including Nanotechnology, Physics, Earth, Astronomy & Space, Technology, Chemistry, Biology and Other Sciences.

• Predictions for Solar and Lunar Eclipses - A website dedicated to predictions and information on eclipses of the Sun and Moon.

• Sky360 - What's in our skies? - Observational Citizen Science of Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond.

• Skymaps.com - Free sky maps each month.

• SKY-MAP.ORG - The main purpose of SKY-MAP is to consolidate astronomical, astrophysical and other information about different space objects and astrophysical facts.

• Slooh - Slooh enables students from kindergarten to college to interface with live telescopes and satellites to learn to explore Earth and space and prepare for careers in space and STEM.

• Space.com - Interesting space and astronomy articles.

• Spaceflight Now - Launches and satellite news.

• SpaceLinks/Space Careers - SPACELINKS is a specialist staffing consultancy sourcing and supplying high caliber professionals for a wide range of world class organizations in the Space and Defense industry.

• "SpaceRef.com" - SpaceRef's 21 news and reference web sites are designed to allow both the novice and specialist alike to explore outer space and Earth observation.

• Space Weather - Check out what the sun is doing as seen from space.

• Stellarium - Free, downloadable planetarium/astronomy software.

• Sterling Images - Images both celestial and terrestrial by Sterling "Rip" Smith (K3XO).

• Telecommunications satellites and space exploration (OOMA blog) - Interesting article on telecommunications satellites with supporting links. Courtesy of Ariana Miller.

• Telescope Live - The New Home for Astrophotography and Remote Imaging - Online access to a global network of 10 robotic telescopes.

• The Most Expensive & Amazing Telescopes In History - Some of the most expensive and amazing telescopes in history - From The Hub Post.

• The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Astrophotography - Looking up into the night sky with just your eyes and maybe a telescope is amazing on its own. But it can be even better when you photograph and record it for your memories.

• Top 50 Astronomy NASA Photos of All Time - A list of the most interesting moments in the history of science - From The Hub Post.

• Ultimate Resource Guide for Astronomy - The resources we have provided below cover everything from discussing what astronomy is all the way to social media groups that focus on this popular and interesting topic. Use this resource guide for finding some great sites on astronomy whether you are a teacher looking for lesson plan ideas, a student wanting to brush up on their knowledge, a college student looking for a career or you just love the stars and want the most from your experiences.

• UniverseToday - Short, interesting articles about space and related topics.

• Wildcat Astronomy - Astrophotography by James Paulson - Planetary and Deep Sky imaging at its best. Check out the Blog as well as the images for tips and tricks of astrophotography.

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Astronomical Lexicon

Definitions of astronomical terms. Many of the astronomical terms used in this newsletter are defined here.

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Read the Universe Today Newsletter by clicking on the logo.

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Acknowledgments and References

Much of the information in this newsletter is from Astronomy® Magazine (Kalmbach Publishing), JPL mission status reports, the Internet, "Meteor Showers - A descriptive Catalog" by Gary W. Kronk, Sky & Telescope web pages, and other astronomical sources that I have stashed on my bookshelves.

The author will accept any suggestions, constructive criticisms, and corrections. Please feel free to send me any new links or articles to share as well. I will try to accommodate any reasonable requests. Please feel free to send questions, comments, criticisms, or donations to the email address listed below. Enjoy!

More Acknowledgements and References

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Subscription Information

• To subscribe: visit Astronews subscription page.

• Email Newsletter archives

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Keep looking UP!
73 from KIØAR


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created by Burness F. Ansell, III,
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IAAS - COO, Director of Aerospace Technologies
JPL Solar System Ambassador, Colorado
last modified: December 01, 2024

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