DECEMBER 2017 OBSERVING Lunar Almanac Northern Hemisphere Sky Chart North a b Di g Bi er pp SA R UR JO A M ` _ Fa e ci n g N M8 E 1 M8 2 k L Y N Polaris X _ LIS ¡ Double Cluster 60° E l ` R M LU l ma _ GU S Ha IE 3 M3 IAN TR A Pleiades ` a _ D E C E M B E R 2 0 17 * S K Y & T E L E S C O P E US December 5 TA U R U S * Petermann Crater c December 4 Hyades Aldebaran trix Bella * Sylvester Crater ¡e _ a December 3 f ` c * Pythagoras Crater E d R ID 0 1 2 3 4 A C E T U S /C N eti U o S -20° _ g n December 19, 01h UT Diameter 29′ 23″ FAVORABLE LIBRATIONS 42 ` Apogee 406,603 km PISCE k e a ci December 4, UT Diameter 33′ 26″ Mira ¡ Fa Perigee 357,492 km d _ a l 09h ` _ -1 DISTANCES M No oon v3 0 E Q U A T O R S December 26 9:20 UT IC ` Rige December 18 6:30 UT T a U FIRST QUARTER P P LE _ NEW MOON I h N IO OR b ¡ December 10 7:51 UT M42 December 3 15:47 UT _ se lgeu c LAST QUARTER g FULL MOON L M De oo c n 3 b GA a 31 Bete 30 MONOCEROS 29 NGC 2244 28 h 27 7 26 Facing East 25 C OPEIA 23 DA 22 R PA 21 M 20 34 19 a 18 l 17 E Alg o 16 ` 15 _ 14 RS 13 PE 12 b 11 ¡ 10 LO C 9 ¡ 8 RI 7 M38 M36 6 M37 5 AU e 4 M3 5 3 ape lla 2 _ 1 ` IN I S AT FRI THU ME GE M WED +80° r TUE CA sto _ ` MOON PHASES 24 A OR Ca Pol lux N ASA / LRO MON ¡ 5 Yellow dots indicate which part of the Moon's limb is tipped the most toward Earth by libration. SUN h 4 10 h Dec 3 D G V oub al Op aarbia les ayxy Di nen lbeles tSatra G ff c r Pl lob use lCulsu tsatrar an ul t s e e n t re be et ar Cl ublua r ar l y Ne utsetre a bu r la Planet location shown for mid-month SE USING THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE MAP Go out within an hour of a time listed to the right. Turn the map around so the yellow label for the direction you're facing is at the bottom. That's the horizon. The center of the map is overhead. Ignore the parts of the map above horizons you're not facing. 4h FO RN AX _ -40° PHO 1 Facing