Each month, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the weeks ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
From Jupiter glowing brightly like a “Christmas Star” to the final supermoon of the year, December 2025 offers skywatchers plenty of gifts. There’s also the year’s most powerful meteor shower — the Geminids — and the return of bright winter stars as the nights get longer and darker in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here’s everything you need to know about the night sky in December 2025.
Winter Circle Of Stars
When: 2 hours after sunset
Where: Eastern and southeastern night sky
Go outside and face east to find the bright star Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the Bull, glowing orange. This marks the start of the Winter Circle — a massive asterism that, going clockwise, loops through Rigel (below Aldebaran), Sirius, Procyon, Pollux and Capella before circling back to Aldebaran.
Jupiter As The ‘Christmas Star’
When: About 90 minutes after sunset, anytime in December
Where: East
Jupiter, sitting bright in the constellation Gemini, photobombs the Winter Circle this year, shining brightly between Procyon and Pollux. It rises shortly after sunset, with its brilliance (at magnitude –2.6) making it a strong contender for this year’s symbolic “Christmas Star.” There’s a reason for that; it comes to a bright “opposition” on Jan. 10, when it will reach its brightest in a 13-month period.
Cold Supermoon
When: Dusk on Dec. 4
Where: East
Look east again on Dec. 4, when the “Cold Supermoon” rises just after sunset. The moon turns full at 6:14 p.m. EST in the constellation Taurus, but that exact time is irrelevant to moon-watchers, who will be in place earlier that night to see our natural satellite appear on the eastern horizon. The final supermoon of the year — though not quite as large in apparent size as November’s supermoon — will appear larger and brighter than usual thanks to its slightly closer proximity to Earth.
The Pleiades And The Moon
When: After dark on Dec. 3 and Dec. 31
Where: East
You can look for the Pleiades star cluster— just above Aldebaran — twinkling like frost after dark any night this month. However, the most beautiful open cluster of stars in the night sky (also called the Seven Sisters) will be visited by the moon this month. On Dec. 3 and on New Year’s Eve, a bright moon slides past the Pleiades.
Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks
When: Overnight on Dec. 13-14
Where: All-sky
It may not be as famous as summer’s Perseids, but the Geminid meteor shower is technically the strongest of the year. Caused not by a comet, but an asteroid, prepare for over 100 “shooting stars” if the skies are clear. The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini in the southeast, but can appear anywhere in the night sky.
‘Shooting Stars’ On The Solstice
When: Overnight on Dec. 21-22
Where: All-sky
If you can stand the cold, get outside at dusk on Dec. 21 to spot a slim crescent moon sink into the western horizon — a great way to mark the solstice, which arrives at exactly 15:03 UTC on Dec. 21. Come back closer to midnight and you may see a dusting of “shooting stars” as the Ursid meteor shower peaks. Expect about 10 meteors per hour from the Ursids, radiating near the Little Dipper in the northern sky.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
