The Moon will be at first quarter on the 5th, rising just after noon and setting before midnight. She'll be Full on the 12th, rising at 3pm and setting at 8.30 next morning. Last Quarter will be on the 19th and she'll rise at midnight and set at 11 42 next morning. New will be on the 27th, and she'll rise at 8.48am and set at 3.27pm.
Mid month is the best time to avoid her, so the first and last weeks of the month will be the time to observe her.
Planets You'll remember that I suggested last month you watch the Moon occulting Venus as they set together on the 1st of December. Well, do as I said and provided the Cloud God keeps the clouds away, you'll be much impressed! If you have a telescope use it to follow the Moon from 3pm, as about 3.30pm she'll begin the occultation, but remember that it'll be the dark side that covers the planet, so be watching on that side, not the lit part of the Moon which is on the right. They'll be just 7° up by this time so you'll also need a clear horizon on the west. All this time Jupiter will be holding station a scant 2° away. This should make a couple of good pictures, so get to it all you astrophotographers! Send your efforts in and we'll post them on the website, www.donastro.org.uk under the menu item, Picture Blog.
If you miss all this you'll get a second chance at the end of the month, on the 31st, though it'll not be an occultation, just a close encounter, within 2.5° of each other, this time in the company of Neptune, 4° away. They'll be setting about 7.30pm. Setting before them, at 5pm, will be Jupiter and Mercury, just over a degree apart.
The evening of the 2nd will also have a good photo opportunity with a setting Moon preceded by Jupiter and Venus, 12° ahead and 2° apart. By the 3rd the Moon will have gone further to the left though the two planets will still be close to each other as they set. They'll be setting together for the rest of the month but with Venus pulling further away to the left each night. On the 27th, Venus and Neptune will have moved to within 1.5° of each other On the 28th they'll be 2° apart and a bit further to the right Jupiter and Mercury will be 3.5° apart with the one day old Moon a further 5° to the right. All this will be at 4pm in bright twilight, the Sun having set 10mins before, so take care if you're using binoculars or telescopes. On the 29th the Moon will be 3° to the left of Jupiter, and by on the 30th it'll be midway between the Jupiter/Mercury pair and the Venus/Neptune pair. On the 31st, the Moon will have moved up to split the Venus/Neptune pair and Jupiter and Mercury will be just a degree apart. All this activity will be perilously close to the setting Sun, so be careful if using binoculars or a telescope. Uranus will be setting some 25° behind Neptune all month.
On the other side of the sky, Saturn will begin its parade, rising at midnight on the 1st and 10.30pm by the end of the month, and staying up all night, getting up to 40° high, making for a good apparition. Unfortunately, it'll be almost edge on so the rings will be difficult to see without a good telescope, and then virtually a line through the disc.
Meteor Showers. December hosts the Geminids, a good shower, but with a narrow window of opportunity from the 7th to the 17th peaking on the 14th. It boasts up to 120 meteors/hour at the zenith, but there will be interference from a fat Moon close to the radiant in the east near Castor and Pollux, the Twins.
The Ursids, also with a narrow window, from the 17th to the 26th, peaking on the 22nd, not as busy as the Geminids but worth a look if you have time from the Christmas shopping. The radiant is in the north near Kochab in Ursa Minor. In watching for meteors don't look at the radiant, better to look high up towards the zenith where the sky is clearer and you can see them as a long streak and can tell where they come from.
Satellites visible from Doncaster
The ISS. While watching the jostling of the planets on the 1st, cast an eye upwards and you'll see the International Space Station, as bright as Jupiter, pass overhead from the west to the ESE from 5.15pm to 5.18pm, reaching 60° up. A busy evening indeed. Other passes of the ISS
3rd at 4.32pm from W to ESE getting 60° high
6th at 4.16pm from W to ESE getting 45° high
9th at 4pm from W to SE getting 26° high
Iridium Flares
3rd 17.24.14 27° up in the SSW, very bright
4th 18.32.25 34° up in the SSE, very bright
6th 17.03.26 23° up in the SSW, very bright
12th 18.02.28 33° up in the SSE, very bright
25th 17.20.51 71° up in the NW, quite bright
Again check www.heavens-above.com for details.