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[ ♪ ]

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What's Up for December? 

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The best meteor shower
of the year

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and the brightest stars in
familiar constellations.

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Hello and welcome! I'm
Jane Houston Jones from

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NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, California.

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The Geminids peak on
the morning of the 14th

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and are active from December 4th
through the 17th.

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The peak lasts for a
full 24 hours, meaning more

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worldwide meteor watchers will
get to see this spectacle.

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If you can see Orion
and Gemini in the sky

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you’ll see some Geminids. 

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Expect to see up to
120 meteors per hour

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between midnight and 4 a.m.
but only from a dark sky.

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You’ll see fewer after moonrise
at 3:30 a.m. local time.

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In the southern hemisphere,
you won’t see as many,

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perhaps 10-20 per hour,

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because the radiant never rises
above the horizon.

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[ whoosh ]

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Take a moment to enjoy the
circle of constellations

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and their brightest stars
around Gemini this month.

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Find yellow Capella in the
constellation Auriga.

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Next—going clockwise
--at 1 o’clock

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find Taurus and bright
reddish Aldebaran,

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plus the Pleiades.

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At two, familiar Orion,
with red Betelguese,

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blue-white Rigel, 

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and the three famous belt stars
in-between the two.

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Next comes Leo, and its
white lionhearted star, Regulus

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at 7 o’clock.

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Another familiar
constellation, Ursa Major,

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completes the view at 9 o’clock.

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[ whoosh ]

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There’s a second meteor shower
in December, the Ursids,

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radiating from Ursa Minor,
the Little Dipper.

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If December 22nd and the
morning of December 23rd

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are clear where you are, 

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have a look at the
Little Dipper’s bowl,

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and you might see about
ten meteors per hour. 

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There are so many sights
to see in the sky.

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Use the Night Sky Network,

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the Solar System Ambassadors,

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and the Museum Alliance to
look up local astronomy clubs,

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and join them for
stargazing events

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in town, and under dark skies.

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You can find out about all of
NASA's missions at: www.nasa.gov

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That's all for this month.
I'm Jane Houston Jones.

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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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California Institute
of Technology