Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

December 1:

• Catch Mercury rising before the Sun in the constellation Libra in the eastern sky around 6:00 AM 
  

December 2:

• December is a great time to catch three Open Clusters: M36, M37, and M38 in the constellation Auriga. Also known as the Pinwheel, January Salt and Pepper, and the Starfish clusters, these objects can be spotted in the northeastern sky around 6:00 PM

December 3:

• Look for the waxing gibbous Cold Moon moving through the open star cluster, M45, also known as Pleiades or Seven Sisters high in the eastern sky in the constellation Taurus: 7:30 PM
• The Light of Distant Worlds Faculty Lecture with Zach Berta-Thompson from the University of Colorado Boulder (tickets required): Fiske Planetarium: 7:00 PM
• DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General & Beginner Meeting: Virtual meeting via Zoom (check membership email and Slack for details): 7:00 PM

December 4:

• The Light of Distant Worlds Faculty Lecture with Zach Berta-Thompson from the University of Colorado Boulder (tickets required): 📍Fiske Planetarium: 7:00 PM
• Discover the Stars at the Denver Christkindl Market with AstroTours (free in-person event): 📍Auraria Campus, Tivoli Quad: 6:00 PM
• The Cold Moon reaches perigee (it’s closest distance from the earth at 356,962 km) making tonights Full Moon appear slightly larger (6.9%) in the sky than a moon at its average distance from the earth: 5:06 AM
• Full Cold Moon: 4:14 PM

December 5:

• Colorado Springs Astronomical Society Bear Creek by Candlelight (registration required): 📍Bear Creek Nature Center: 5:00 PM

December 6:

• Catch the waning gibbous Cold Moon and Jupiter pairing up with the twins, Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini high in the southeastern sky: 8:00 PM

December 7:

• Find the waning gibbous Cold Moon again near Pollux and Jupiter in the constellation Gemini high in the southeastern sky: 8:00 PM
• Mercury reaches its Greatest Western Elongation: 3:00 PM
• DAS Annual Holiday Banquet: Check your membership email for details: 6:00 PM
• Discover the Stars at the Denver Christkindl Market with AstroTours (free in-person event): 📍Auraria Campus, Tivoli Quad: 6:00 PM

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

• November Orionids (NOO): 1:00 AM in northeast Orion — About 3 per hour
• Northern Taurids (NTA): Midnight in central Taurus — About 1 per hour
• Southern χ Orionids (ORS): Midnight in central Taurus — About 1 per hour
• Monocerotids (MON): 2:00 AM in northeastern Orion — About 1 per hour
• Sigma Hydrids (HYD): 3:00 AM in central Canis Minor — About 1 per hour
• December φ Cassiopeiids (DPC): 10:00 PM in southern Cassiopeia — Less than 1 per hour
• Omicron Eridanids (OER): Midnight in northeastern Eridanus — Less than 1 per hour
• Geminids (GEM): 2:00 AM in eastern Auriga — Less than 1 per hour
• Eta Hydrids (EHY): 4:00 AM in western Hydra — Less than 1 per hour
• Leonids (LEO): Last hour before dawn in central Leo — Less than 1 per hour
• Psi Ursae Majorids (PSU): Last hour before dawn in southern Ursa Major — Less than 1 per hour
• December κ Draconids (DKD): Last hour before dawn in western Draco — Less than 1 per hour
• December χ Virginids (XVI): Last hour before dawn in western Virgo — Less than 1 per hour
• December σ Virginids (DSV): Last hour before dawn in northwestern Virgo — Less than 1 per hour

Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:

• Where to Explore the 2025 Denver Night Skies 
• When to Explore the 2025 Denver Night Skies
• What to Explore in the 2025 Denver Night Skies

Sky Map

• The pdf map of the night sky from SkyMaps.com can be found at https://www.skymaps.com/skymaps

Clear skies and happy stargazing!