Sunday December 8, 2024

Neptune Reverses Course (evening)

On Sunday, December 8, the distant, blue planet Neptune will complete a retrograde loop that has been carrying it slowly westward through the stars near the border between Aquarius and Pisces. After ceasing its motion tonight, Neptune will ramp up to its regular eastward motion over the coming days. On moonless evenings in December the magnitude 7.9 planet can be observed in good binoculars and backyard telescopes in the evening sky, but tonight a waxing gibbous moon will shine several degrees below Neptune. Neptune will also be located about 14 degrees to the northeast of Saturn. In binoculars, look for Neptune as a small, dull blue "star" sitting a small distance above and
between (or celestial north) of the medium-bright stars 24 and 20 Piscium. First Quarter Moon

The moon will complete the first quarter of its 29.53-day trip around Earth on Sunday, December 8 at 10:27 a.m. EST, 7:27 a.m. PST, and 15:27 UT. At first quarter, the moon's 90-degree angle from the sun causes us to see it half- illuminated on its eastern side. First quarter moons always rise around mid- day and set around midnight, so they are also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the best ones for seeing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight, especially along the terminator, the pole-to-pole boundary that separates the moon's lit and dark hemispheres.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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