【Ireland】

You don't need a telescope to admire the majesty of our planetary neighborhood.

Planets like Jupiter and IrelandVenus reflect bounties of light from the sun — and unlike stars, the vivid planets don't twinkle. These beacons are among the brightest objects in the sky, and December 2024 provides excellent viewing opportunities (when the fickle clouds behave, that is).

"This month, Venus dazzles as the 'Evening Star,' Jupiter reaches its brightest for the year, and the Geminid meteor shower peaks under challenging moonlit skies," NASA wrote online.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Is Mercury in retrograde? Yes, but there's a catch.

How to see Venus

Venus is the third brightest celestial object in the night sky (behind the sun and moon). The hellish planet isn't just Earth's closest planetary neighbor. It's permanently covered in thick 12-mile-high clouds, which reflect lots of sunlight. You can't miss it.

"Venus is hard to miss in the southwest after sunset – it's that dazzling bright 'Evening Star,'" NASA explained.

Venus' evolving position in the night sky in December 2024. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Although a rocky world about the same size of Earth, Venus is still wildly different. Suffocated and heated by greenhouse gases, its surface reaches pizza oven-like temperatures of some 870 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, the surface pressure, at some 90 times greater than on Earth, is crushing.

How to see Jupiter

Jupiter, a gas giant planet containing over twice the mass of all other planets in our solar system combined, will also be a brilliant presence. Jupiter reaches its peak brightness of the year in December, and is visible all night.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"You’ll find it rising in the east-northeast as darkness falls, among the stars of the constellation Taurus," NASA said.

Jupiter contains a whopping 95 known moons, including the fascinating world Europa, which harbors an icy ocean beneath its cracked shell. With binoculars or a telescope, you can often spot Jupiter's four largest moons.

How to see Mars

The red desert planet, though it lacks the profoundly reflective atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter, "will also be putting on its own show," NASA noted.

As Mars draws closer to Earth, it will double in brightness in December.

---

Related Stories

---

• NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.
• NASA releases photo of ocean world. It shows why NASA's going there.
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• Speeding space object triggered a warning. It wasn't an asteroid.
• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know

"Early in the month, it rises about four hours after dark, but by New Year’s Eve, it’s rising just about 90 minutes after sunset — always shining with its distinctive reddish hue. And on Dec. 17, you’ll find the Red Planet super close to the Moon, which will be just two days past its full phase," the space agency explained.

Other notable skywatching events

- The Winter Triangle: The vivid stars Sirius (the brightest night time star), Procyon, and the red supergiant Betelgeuse form a prominent equilateral triangle throughout winter. Betelgeuse is the red shoulder of the constellation Orion.

- Geminid meteor shower: This typically great meteor shower peaks in the early morning of Dec. 14, but many of the shooting stars will be washed out by a full moon. "Still, the Geminids are known for bright meteors, and it’s common to spot their shooting stars up to a week before the peak," NASA said.

- Winter Solstice: The longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on Dec. 21. Welcome, officially, to winter.

• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Science
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Life
• Deals
• Social Good

• AMD Radeon RX 550 + Intel Pentium G4560
• Madness Is a Waste of Time: Advice from Anne Sexton
• Staff Picks: Sophie Pinkham, Robyn Creswell, Kelly Reichardt
• How Did Philip Guston Find Inspiration? By Mocking Nixon
• Best headphones deal: Save up to 51% on Beats at Amazon
• Layla and Majnun: The First Opera of the Muslim World
• Paul Verlaine’s Six
• Celebrating the History of the Beloved Ash Tree
• The Baffler’s May Day Round Up
• When I Die, I Want to Remember Every Poem I Know by Heart

• Jason Momoa leads an epic haka dance during 'Aquaman' premiere
• This alarm clock wants to wake you up with an orgasm
• Sonic the Hedgehog's muscular sex legs are freaking out the internet
• 10 best on
• 10 features I think Snapchat should have but only my Snapchat
• This teeny bathroom graffiti pun is actually really funny
• Jack Dorsey responds to his tone deaf Myanmar vacation tweets
• Hillary Clinton reveals to 'Humans of New York' what it takes to be a woman in politics
• Now you can honor Tupac while eating a 'California Love' burger at this pop
• The best celebrity #TBT posts of the day

• Best speaker deal: Save $30 on the JBL Clip 5
• Who Would Dare to Mail Feces to a Bunch of Philosophers?
• Killing Dirk’s
• Flaubert Was Never One for Constructive Criticism
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
• Marina Warner Remembers Peal & Co, Bespoke Shoemaker
• Autumn Hours, Part 5: Fool’s Errand
• The Vagaries of Sonic Branding
• Keeping Hope Alive
• Summer Hours, Part 4: Out of Time

• Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
• How Grief Led Me to the Museum of Wooden Sculptures
• Paul Verlaine’s Six
• Stephen King Says the Clowns Are Totally Nice, Okay?
• This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
• Philip Roth Bequeaths His Books to Newark
• How Did Philip Guston Find Inspiration? By Mocking Nixon
• Woman Power: Maria Lassnig in New York 1968
• 5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
• Autumn Hours, Part 5: Fool’s Errand