As the long, crisp nights of early winter settle over us, and the cosmos offers a spectacular array of viewing opportunities. This week provides a perfect time for stargazers, featuring a rare lunar occultation of a famous star cluster, a chance to spot the elusive planet Mercury, and the spectacular brilliance of Jupiter.
Prepare your binoculars and don’t forget to look up.
Here are the three must see celestial events …
Close approach and occultation of the Pleiades – 5th of December
This week opens with a stunning sight involving the Moon and the beautiful Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. The almost full moon will pass directly in front of the beautiful Pleiades star cluster. This event is known as a lunar occultation, which means that the moon will pass in front of the star cluster, block it from view and then slowly reveal it. While the nearly full Moon’s brightness will challenge naked eye viewing, binoculars or small telescope will certainly increase your chances of seeing this wonder.
The moon will be in the western sky during the early morning, and you will be able to watch individual stars of the cluster slowly disappear behind the moon and then reappear on the other side. This is a great event to observe the moon’s orbital movement across the night sky.
Morning appearance of Mercury at Greatest Elongation – 7th of December
On Sunday, Mercury reaches its greatest Western Elongation, which means that it will be farthest west of the Sun in Earth’s sky, appearing as a morning object visible just before sunrise. This will make Mercury easier to spot than usual, and you will be able to see it if you look low on the south-eastern horizon just before sunrise.
However, you will need an unobstructed view of the horizon as Mercury will be laying very low.
Jupiter nearly at its peak visibility-11th of December
Jupiter is approaching its peak visibility so it is a great time to view it. During this time, Jupiter is nearly at its largest and brightest. The planet will rise in the eastern sky early in the evening and will be visible all night. It will be easy to spot as it will be near the Gemini constellation and will be the brightest object in the sky apart from the Moon. You will be able to see this with the naked-eye, but a pair of binoculars will reveal its four brightest Galilean moons that will look like tiny points of light flanking the massive planet.