December 2009 Monthly Sky Guide

The Geminids Meteor Shower should peak around the 13th or 14th.

Jupiter is setting earlier, but Mars is coming into its glory. Saturn is starts to rise before midnight around the 15th though Venus is getting harder to see.

The real star will be the Moon. Not only are there two full moons, December 2 and 31 (yes, that means a Blue Moon on the 31st), we'll also see a partial Lunar eclipse on December 31. The last eclipse of 2009 occurs on New Year's Eve when a minor partial lunar eclipse takes place in Gemini, and is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere. Greatest eclipse takes place at 19:23 UT when the eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763.

Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC

Check out this map for the month of December, or create your own customized map with our Free Sky Maps tool.

Note: This map is for a median time and location and December have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.

Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.

Check out our Astronomical Events Calendar to learn about other happenings in space and on Earth. Here is a sampling of highlights.

• 2 - 35th Anniversary (1974), Pioneer 11, Jupiter Flyby
• 4 - 50th Anniversary (1959), Little Joe 2 Launch (Monkey "Sam")
• 9 - Cassini, Distant Helene Flyby
• 9 - Asteroid 2309 Mr. Spock Closest Approach To Earth (1.802 AU)
• 10 - STS-130 Launch, Space Shuttle Endeavour, Node 3, Cupola, International Space Station
• 13 - Geminids Meteor Shower Peak
• 18 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
• 21 - Solstice (northern winter/southern summer begins)

This month, the constellation Piscis Austrinus can be seen high in the sky. Let's take a closer look at Piscis Austrinus.

• The Southern Fish
• Genitive: Piscis Austrini
• Abbreviations: PsA, Psc A
• Right Ascension, (h): 22
• Declination, (deg): 30S

Donn F. Eisele was born in Columbus, Ohio, on June 23, 1930. Eisele was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963. On October 11, 1968, he occupied the command module pilot seat for the eleven-day flight of Apollo VII—the first manned flight test of the third generation United States spacecraft. He died on December 2, 1987 of a heart attack while on a business trip to Tokyo, Japan.

Check every day to learn what happened "This Day in History."

• 1: 1811 - Benjamin (Don Benito) Wilson born, namesake of Mt. Wilson, CA.
• 5: 1978 - Pioneer Venus begins sending back data and images as first U.S. Venus orbiter.
• 15: 1965 - Launch of Gemini 6A Earth orbiting mission carrying Walter Schirra and Tom Stafford.
• 31: 1958 - The International Geophysical Year (IGY) ends after 18 months.