Seven celestial events to look for in the December night sky
BBC | 06.12.2025 16:18
There is plenty to keep stargazers amused through the rest of December.
From a planetary conjunction to the astronomical start of winter to some of 2025's most prolific meteor showers.
The month has already got off to a stunning start with a third consecutive supermoon lighting up night skies with the added interest of a rare double lunar halo and the Northern Lights also putting on a dazzling show.
Of course these delights rely on clear weather conditions. Check the viewing potential where you live at BBC Weather.
Not one but three meteor showers to enjoy
The Geminid meteor shower is active from 4 to 20 December and is one of the last major showers of 2025. It peaks on 14 December when the Moon is waning crescent. This should help viewing conditions as there will be less light pollution at a time when the Geminids have been known to produce over 120 meteors per hour.
Meteors are pieces of debris that enter Earth's atmosphere, passing through the debris of a comet or an asteroid at speeds of up to 150,000mph (241,000km/h), vaporising and causing beautiful streaks of light caused by particles as small as a grain of sand.
The meteors associated with the Geminids are some of the brightest and most abundant in the skies and appear as multi-coloured streaks of white, yellow, green, red and blue due to elements such as sodium and calcium found within the celestial debris.
They were first observed in 1862 and according to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich are thought to be intensifying every year.
This is followed by the Ursid meteor shower which is active from 17 to 26 December, peaking between the 22 and 23. Meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, hence its name with a peak rate of just 10 meteors per hour.
If you miss both the Geminids and Ursids, don't despair. The Quadrantids are active from 28 December and are one of the strongest and most consistent meteor showers of the year. They peak between 3 to 4 January 2026 in UK.
Pre-Christmas planetary conjunction
An early Christmas present of Moon and Jupiter in close proximity can be seen on 7 December. According to the Royal Museums Greenwich they will be best observed low on the horizon just after the Moon rises in the north-east.
Whilst they look close together they are actually millions of miles apart.
The Comet 3I/ATLAS will be at its closest point to Earth on 19 December.
It is an interstellar object (only the third ever detected) meaning it originates from outside our solar system. It is not bound to the Sun and will never return.
It was first discovered in July and recent observations show that 3I/ATLAS has developed a faint bluish hue, suggesting a possible colour change - the third shift in its colouring since its discovery.
The comet is more ancient than our solar system at over seven billion years old and provides valuable clues about planetary formation in other star systems.
Speculation has arisen about it being an alien object, but NASA has dismissed these claims.
It won't be visible to the naked eye but should be able to be viewed using an amateur telescope.
The winter solstice and the start of astronomical winter
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere in the UK when Earth's axis is tilted at its furthest point from the Sun.
It is also the longest night here and the start of astronomical winter.
The solstice is actually a specific moment, not a whole day and in 2025 it happens at 15:03 GMT on 21 December.
We have solstices because the Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees, which affects which part of the planet's surface the Sun is directly overhead at any given time.
International Space Station fly-by
The spacecraft should be visible above the UK for approximately four minutes at 05:56 GMT on 25 December.
Although it will be dark, the International Space Station will be high enough to reflect the sunlight, helping it to be seen.
It will be the third brightest object in the sky after the Moon and Venus and appear as a single, fast-moving bright star, easily spotted with the naked eye.
And whilst you may have marvelled at the Cold Moon earlier in December, a fourth consecutive supermoon is on its way in early January. This one is known as the Wolf Moon and the last chance to see the Moon looking so big and close in our night skies until November 2026.
