Sky watchers can expect several astronomical events this last month of the year, including brief appearances of some planets and the December Solstice, the state weather bureau said.
PAGASA, in a video presentation posted on social media, said an astronomical event to look forward to is the December Solstice on December 21, which would mean shorter day and longer night.
“On December 21, here in the northern hemisphere, we will experience the shortest day and the longest night,” said PAGASA.
Meanwhile, the planets Saturn and Jupiter will shine bright on December evenings.
“Before the year ends, let us look up and observe planets Saturn and Jupiter which will shine bright on December nights. These objects will appear briefly after sunset ,” the agency said.
A glimpse of the planet Mercury is possible early in the morning, just before the sun rises in the east-south eastern horizon.
There is also the phenomenon of the conjunction of the Moon and Saturn on December 27.
“Located in the constellations Pisces and Aquarius, the close pairing will be observed right after sunset until they set in the western horizon before midnight,” said PAGASA.
Observe a comet and meteor shower events
The comet C/2025 T1 (ATLAS) will make its closest approach to the Sun on December 2.
“While it won’t be visible to the naked eye, this comet will be best observed through binoculars or a small telescope,” it said. “For several weeks, from early December through the third week of the month, the comet will be visible in the western sky a few hours after sunset.”
There will be two major meteor shower events: the Geminid and Ursid meteor showers.
The Geminid meteor shower is a shower produced by the debris left behind by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, said PAGASA. It will be active from December 4 to 17 and will peak on December 14.
The Ursid meteor shower will be active from December 17 to 26, and will peak on December 22. This shower is caused by the debris from comet 8P/Tuttle. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
