Which planets stargazers can see during December 2008? Check what’s up in the night sky and turn your telescope towards planets.
Oh boy, it was a long break! I’m sorry for this blogging hiatus. I’ve been very busy at work lately, and therefore I haven’t been able to write much. Anyhow, now the rush seems to be over and I can continue writing some astronomy articles.
Astronomy season here in northern hemisphere is currently ongoing and the activity of astronomy bloggers is high. I just received the latest Finnish astronomy magazine and noticed that again they have published several awesome pictures shot by their readers. Winter is great time. Not just because of Christmas and snow, but also the darkness that provides possibilities of star gazing.
Which planets can be seen in December 2008?
December started just few days ago, and search engines send lots of readers to my blog. The reason for this is that they are looking for information of which planets can be seen in December 2008. Planets are very interesting, so let’s find out which ones can be seen in this month. December Nightsky is not much different from November, but some changes appear in relation to the planets.
Planet Mercury can be seen in South-West direction in late December. You can see Mercury already on dawn when the planets is located close to Jupiter.
Planet Venus can also be seen after sunset in South-West direction in December. Although Venus can be seen during the whole month, it is best viewed in late December. Venus is located close to Moon in the end of the month.
Planet Jupiter is located in constellation Sagittarius, and it can be seen low in South-West direction.
Planet Saturn cannot be seen on early night, but after midnight you can see it climbing from East. Saturn is located in constellation Leo, and it is best viewed in direction South on early morning. Saturn can be observed with binoculars, but with a small telescope you can see even Saturn’s moon Titan.
Planet Uranus is located in constellation Aquarius, and it can be observed with binoculars. Although some people see Uranus by the naked eye, with binoculars it is very much easier.
Planet Neptune can be seen in early night in constellation Capricornus, but is not possible to be viewed without binoculars or a telescope.
Which planets cannot be seen in December 2008?
Mars and Pluto cannot be seen in December 2008.
December is good time for observing planets, because almost all the planets can be seen at the same time. Biggest planets can be observed without any equipment, such as a telescope.
Picture: bluecharma
One Response
Is there any possibility for the discovery of a new real (not dwarf) planet in our solar system?