There are few better sights in nature than December’s night sky. Bright stars like Betelgeuse, Capella, Aldebaran, Sirius and the stars of Orion’s Belt dominate the night sky after dark, but over the two weeks from Dec. 20, 2025 to Jan. 4, 2026, you can follow some unique astronomical events.
As seen from the Northern Hemisphere this year, a crescent moon will curl up in the western sky just before Christmas Day, before gliding past Saturn and the Pleiades. Meanwhile, Jupiter shines as a bright “Christmas Star” in the east right after dark.
Add two meteor showers and a full “Wolf Supermoon”, and ’tis the season to be outside looking up! Here’s how to follow the show night by night…
1. Jupiter shines as the ‘Christmas Star’
When to see: Dec. 25, 2025–Jan. 10, 2026
Head outside about 90 minutes after sunset and look east. The brightest “star” climbing into the sky is Jupiter, shining with a steady light. It will be your planetary companion for the rest of the year — a seasonal lantern that gets higher and more obvious each night.
If it looks like the “Star of Bethlehem” or “Christmas Star,” that’s because it’s closest to its opposition — the brightest it ever gets — on Jan. 10, 2026.
2. Ursids meteor shower
When to see: Dec. 21-22, 2025
Today marks the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere — the shortest day and the longest, darkest night of the year. After dusk, a 3%-lit waxing crescent moon hangs low in the southwest in twilight, sinking below the horizon soon after to leave the sky wonderfully dark for the peak of the Ursids.
It’s not a particularly strong meteor shower, but the chance of about 10 “shooting stars” per hour in moonless night skies makes it a good opportunity to go stargazing, or to head out with your astrophotography camera if the skies are clear. Wrap up well, head out after about 11 p.m., and stay for an hour or two if you can.
3. ‘Earthshine’ on a crescent moon
When to see: After sunset, Dec. 22-24, 2025.
The highlight in the few evenings between the winter solstice and Christmas Day is a waxing crescent moon in the western sky shortly after sunset. On Dec. 22, a 7%-illuminated crescent moon will display “Earthshine,” sunlight reflecting off Earth’s clouds and oceans and gently lighting up the moon’s night side.
On Dec. 23, it will be 13%-illuminated and shine close to the star Fomalhaut, the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish. Christmas Eve brings a now 21%-illuminated waxing crescent moon forming a lopsided triangle with Fomalhaut to its lower-left and Saturn to its upper-left.
4. ‘Santa’s sleigh’ on Christmas Eve
When to see: Dec. 24-25, 2025
Check NASA’s Spot The Station page or apps to see if a pass of the International Space Station is visible from your location. If you get lucky, it will appear in the west as a brilliant, steady point of light that glides across the sky in just a few minutes, brighter than almost any star. To younger observers, it makes a perfect “Santa’s sleigh”, racing around Earth every 90 minutes while stockings are being hung and presents wrapped.
5. The Christmas Tree Cluster
When to see: After dark, any time in December and January
For those gifted a large telescope today, there’s a tempting festive target. Buried within the faint constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn — east of Orion — is the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264).
It’s not visible to the naked eye, but if you’re under dark skies and have binoculars or a small telescope, you can hunt for the small triangular patch of stars that give this region its festive nickname. This young star cluster is about 2,500 light-years from the solar system.
6. Saturn and the moon in conjunction
When to see: Dec. 26, 2025
Boxing Day brings a beautiful pairing of the moon and Saturn. As darkness falls, look high in the south to find the bright moon, which is now at first-quarter phase and so about half illuminated. Close by, within a few finger-widths at arm’s length, sits Saturn as a steady, golden point of light.
7. Orion
When to see: After dark, any time in December and January
It’s one of the most famous constellations in the night sky, but only in winter is Orion at its best. Best known for Orion’s Belt — also called the “Three Kings” — there’s more to find besides Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. Either side has four stars ranged in a loose rectangle around the belt stars — Saiph and reddish Betelgeuse on one side and Bellatrix and bluish Rigel on the other.
Use any pair of binoculars to find Orion’s “snake” — an S-shape curl of stars between Alnilam and Mintaka — then point them at the fuzzy patch close by. This is the Orion Nebula (M42), a stellar nursery where stars are being created.
8. The Pleiades and the moon
When to see: Dec. 31, 2025–Jan. 1, 2026
New Year’s Eve brings a close encounter between the most beautiful cluster of stars in the night sky and an almost-full moon. As darkness falls, look east to see a nearly full Moon rising in Taurus, with the Pleiades — also known as the Seven Sisters — nestling just to one side.
From mid-northern latitudes, the moon may appear to skim past the cluster during the evening, its bright halo almost wrapping around the tiny glitter of stars, although moonlight will wash out the fainter members of the Pleiades.
9. A full Wolf Supermoon rising
When to see: Saturday, Jan. 3
Tonight’s full Wolf Moon is the fourth and final supermoon in a row. Best seen rising in the east around sunset, this full moon coincides with perigee, when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit.
About 30% brighter than the average full moon, it will dominate the sky all night and appear slightly larger than normal, especially when it’s low on the horizon and framed by trees, rooftops or distant hills. The time to catch it is when the moon rises where you are.
While the best astrophotography lenses are ideal for wide-angle shots of the Milky Way, the best lenses for moon photography are actually big zoom telephoto lenses that are typically used more for wildlife photography.
10. Quadrantids meteor shower
When to see: overnight on Jan. 3-4, 2026
In the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 4, the Quadrantids meteor shower reaches its official peak. Conditions are not ideal this year because the moon will be very bright, but if you’re awake before dawn and the sky is clear, it’s worth giving the shower a short watch.
Find a place to observe where you can keep your back to the moon, or where it’s hidden behind a roofline or trees, then look overhead and toward the northeast. Even with the glare, a few bright meteors may slash across the sky every so often, appearing to radiate from a point near the constellation Boötes.
