Night Sky Highlights - December 2025

Explore what you can see in the night sky this December, including the Geminid meteor shower and Jupiter!

By Theo, Work Experience Student

Top 3 things to see in the night sky in December 2025:

• 7 December - Spot Mercury at greatest western elongation
• 14 December - Catch the peak of the Geminid meteor shower
• 21 December - Experience the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice

The Geminid meteor shower

The Geminid meteor shower will be active between 4 and 20 December. It will reach its peak on 14 December, when it could produce up to 120 meteors per hour. The shower will appear to radiate from the constellation of Gemini, close to the star Castor.

The Geminids are particularly exciting because they originate from an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, while almost all other meteor showers are caused by debris from comets.

This meteor shower is ideal for observing all night at the peak, and viewing conditions will be favourable as the Moon will be a waning crescent, so it won't produce too much light pollution.

Mercury at greatest western elongation 

Keen planet observers will have an ideal opportunity to observe Mercury early in the month: Mercury reaches greatest western elongation on 7 December, meaning it is at its farthest point from the Sun from our perspective. 

Though the ideal time for spotting Mercury will be just before dawn on 7 December, looking to the east, it will be clearly visible for a few days either side of this date. It is not advised to attempt to see Mercury through a telescope though, as it will still be close to the Sun, and you risk pointing your telescope at the Sun as it rises.

Jupiter and the Moon 

Also on 7 December, the Moon and Jupiter will make a close approach in the constellation of Gemini. This will be best observed low on the horizon just after moonrise in the northeast, but the two objects will remain in close proximity throughout the night.

Both Jupiter and the Moon will appear bright in the sky, making this an ideal target for observing with the naked eye, binoculars and small telescopes. Using a small telescope you may be able to see four Galilean moons, as well as a detailed views of mountains and valleys along our Moon’s terminator (the line where the illuminated area meets the shadowed area).

New Moon sightseeing

However, the best night for making general observations will be 20 December, when the Moon will be in its new phase. At this time, the sky will be at its darkest as there will be no sunlight reflecting off the Moon, allowing you to take a look at fainter objects that might have been drowned out by the light. Jupiter will be the only planet in the sky, still in the constellation of Gemini.

This is also a good night to bring out your telescope; deep space objects such as the Beehive Cluster, the Orion Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy are in ideal positions to observe. 

The Ursid meteor shower will also be happening on this night. However, this is a sparse shower with a peak rate of 10 meteors per hour. It'll peak on 22 December, with meteors appearing to radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor.

The winter solstice

The winter solstice, or shortest day of the year, will occur in the Northern Hemisphere on 21 December. On this day London will experience only 7 hours, 49 minutes and 42 seconds of daylight. The exact moment of the solstice in the UK will be at 3.03pm GMT, but many celebrate the whole day.

Observing Saturn in the Southern Hemisphere

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, Saturn will be around in the evening throughout the month, making it ideal for observing. Look in a northwesterly direction to spot it. A small telescope is ideal for looking at Saturn, as you'll be able to see details like Saturn's famous rings. 

At the moment, however, Saturn’s rings are facing the Earth almost edge-on, which can make them hard to see. Keep an eye out on 8 and 24 November in particular - on these nights Titan, Saturn's largest moon, will make a transit.

The Moon's phases in December 2025

Full moon - 4 December (23:14). This will also be a supermoon.

Last quarter - 11 December (20:51)

New moon - 20 December (01:43)

First quarter - 27 December (19:09)

Stargazing tips

• When looking at faint objects such as stars, nebulae, the Milky Way and other galaxies, it is important to allow your eyes to adapt to the dark so that you can achieve better night vision.
• Allow 15 minutes for your eyes to become sensitive in the dark and remember not to look at your mobile phone or any other bright device when stargazing.
• If you're using a star app on your phone, switch on the red night vision mode.

Gemini Meteor Shower © Sutie Yang, shortlisted in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018