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:
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Find the waning gibbous Cold Moon again near Pollux and Jupiter in the constellation Gemini high in the southeastern sky: 8:00 PM
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Mercury reaches its Greatest Western Elongation: 3:00 PM
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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
