DECEMBER 2024 OBSERVING Lunar Almanac Northern Hemisphere Sky Chart 27 28 Yellow dots indicate which part of the Moon's limb is tipped the most toward Earth by libration. NASA / LRO 16 December 14 MOON PHASES MON SUN 1 8 15 22 29 2 9 16 23 30 3 10 17 24 31 TUE 4 11 18 25 WED 5 12 19 26 THU 6 13 20 27 FRI 7 14 21 28 SAT γ β NEW MOON December 1 06:21 UT FIRST QUARTER December 8 15:27 UT FULL MOON December 15 09:02 UT NEW MOON December 30 22:27 UT DISTANCES Perigee 365,361 km Apogee 404,485 km LAST QUARTER December 22 α 22:18 UT December 12, 13h UT Diameter 32′ 43″ December 24, 07h UT Diameter 29′ 32″ FAVORABLE LIBRATIONS * Helmholtz Crater * Cleostratus Crater December 14 * Pontécoulant H Crater December 16 * Pythagoras Crater December 27 December 28 42 DECEMBER 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE Galaxy Double star -1 1 2 3 4 Planet location shown for mid-month 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. Exact for latitude 40°N. -40° P H O c i n g 1 P η -20° TAURUS Hyades β Aldebaran MONOCEROS NGC 2244 E g -1 0 1 2 3 4 a Galaxy Double star Variable star Open cluster Diffuse nebula Globular cluster Planetary nebula Moon Dec 14 ε γ S E Jupiter Mars ER I DANUS Mars ι 10h 7h F a c α 4h F a Double Cluster +60° I OP E I A γ +80° o N 3h β i n g a F Pleiades α ε θ ζ i c n s t L Y N X c a F g n i E N δ ε α Polaris h t r E Q U A T O R E C L I P Moon Dec 11 T I C Capella A U R I G A M36 M38 M37 U R S A M A J O R β CAMELOPARDALIS M82 M81 α θ B i g D i p p e r Algol P ERS EUS ε α β θ M35 G E M I N I Castor α Pollux TRIANGULUM β γ α Hamal AR I E S α γ Mira ο θ η C E T U S π Ceti τ F O R N A X α S A O R Bellatrix O R I O N Betelgeuse M42 Rigel L E P U S M34 ρ γ α δ ε ζ β γ β M33 β α α ε γ δ ο λ α ε δ ζ κ β γ