The moon is fast approaching fullness, and this week it will make a transiting encounter with Jupiter on December 21st and 22nd.
The chart shows the view looking due south from London at 21:00 GMT on 22 December. The moon will become gibbous (grows in size) with 82% of its visible surface illuminated. Jupiter will be a bright object shining at a magnitude of –2.7 in the constellation Aries, the ram. The pair will also be visible from the southern hemisphere, where they can easily be seen in the northern sky.
This week also brings, thankfully, the winter solstice for those in the northern hemisphere – the shortest day of the year – and the summer solstice for those in the southern hemisphere. The exact moment of the solstice is 03:27 GMT on December 22.
The sun will rise over London at 08:01 GMT and set again at 15:53 GMT giving just about seven hours, 49 minutes and 41 seconds of direct sunlight. The days on either side of the solstice will be longer by just a split second or less. In the southern hemisphere it will be the longest day.
