The constellations and stars we associate with winter are appearing earlier in our eastern evening skies as nature’s celestial clock tells us that our coldest, darkest season is upon us (the winter solstice is Dec. 21 at 4:21 a.m.). This year, Jupiter and Mars add some dazzle to those sparkling winter stars.
The month’s highlight is our best view of Jupiter in a decade, with Venus, Saturn and Mars rounding out the nights. Mercury joins the party in late December, making all five naked eye planets visible this month.
