NASA has returned with its final monthly update for 2022. This includes tips on how to spot night skies in the coming weeks.
The planets
It begins with a suggestion to watch out for Jupiter in the early months of the month. Jupiter is just a few fingers away from the moon.
Jump to December’s final week to see a new sky arrangement. First, the moon will pass Saturn and then Jupiter again. If you’re in a location that has a clear view of the horizon, you should also be able to spot Venus and Mercury in the fading glow of sunset, just a few degrees above the skyline.
Lunar occultation
“December 7 brings one of those magical moments when the sky changes dramatically before your very eyes,” NASA. It’s known as a “lunar occultation,” and occurs when the moon passes in front of, or occults, Mars.
People living in North America, Europe and Northern Africa will see the spectacle. The moon will be visible to anyone who lives in the southeast U.S.A. or East Coast.
If, say, you’re viewing the occultation from the U.S., Mars will slip behind the moon between about 6:30 and 9 p.m., depending on where you’re watching from. Any Skywatching App with decent featuresThe exact times will be displayed for each area.
“The moon passes in front of planets in the night sky several times per year,” NASA explains. “In fact, it generally occults Mars itself at least a couple of times per year. But each occultation is visible from only a small portion of Earth’s surface, so it’s not super common for any particular spot on Earth to see them frequently.”
According to the space agency, stars just blink when the moon passes by. “But planets are not just points of light like stars — they appear as circular little disks, so planets actually take several seconds to disappear and later reemerge,” it says. “So if you’re in the viewing zone, enjoy this relatively rare opportunity to watch a bright planet being occulted by the moon.”
Pegasus
NASA also says that December is the best time to view the Pegasus, a winged-horse and one of the largest constellations. If you want to try locating it without checking your skywatching app first, then try first to find what’s known as the Great Square, four stars of roughly equal brightness that form the central part of the horse’s body. Jupiter can also be used to help locate the Great Square. Face southward to find the giant planet about halfway up in the sky — the Great Square starts about 15 degrees to the north of it.
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