Sky Phenomenon That Will Happen Throughout December 2020

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The phenomenon of the sky is indeed often an interesting thing to discuss, from the amazing to the rare, it will happen at the end of 2020.

Some meteor showers and planetary movements, there is also the astronomical phenomenon of the total solar eclipse that occurred recently this year that colored the December sky. Its pathway crosses the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic.

Almost all of these celestial phenomena can be enjoyed with the naked eye, without the need for professional tools. Are you curious about the celestial phenomena that will occur in December 2020? Check out the following reviews compiled from Space, Monday, December 7.

1. Puppid-Velid Meteor Rain (6 December 2020)

The sky phenomenon that will occur for the first time in December, right on December 6, is the Puppid-Velid, which is included in the minor meteor shower.

The Puppid-Velid meteor has not too much meteor intensity. At its peak, there will be 10 meteors per hour that can be observed. The Puppid-Velid meteor shower has a radian point in the constellation Vela.

The ideal time to observe the Vela constellation starts at 00.00 in the sky towards the Southeast. For the record, there is no need for telescopes or binoculars to see this meteor shower, what is needed is a large observation area, minimal light pollution, and sunny weather.

2. Near Asteroid Vesta (7 December 2020)

This moon phenomenon near the asteroid will be in the south of the sky before dawn on Monday, December 7.

The fading moon will be positioned 6 degrees west of the sky from Vesta's 7.55 main belt in the constellation Leo, the Lion.

This will happen for about an hour centered on 21:00 GMT. Astronomers and enthusiasts of celestial phenomena in much of eastern and northern Europe, Russia, China, Japan, northern Philippines, and Micronesia can see the Moon passing in front of the or occult asteroid Vesta.

3. The Phase of the Final Monthly Month (8 December 2020)

On December 8, 2020, there will be a final phenomena of the Moon phase. The final bandage is when the Moon appears in part.

In this phase, the Moon will rise at midnight until it reaches its highest point in the sky at around 6 am, and will set again at midday. Astronomically, the Moon enters the final phase of the moon on December 8, 2020 at 07.37 WIB.

4.The Moon's Conjunction with Venus (December 13)

This rare opportunity should not be wasted, because on this date, we can see the proximity of the Moon to the planet Venus.

It is known, at this time Venus is a morning star, so it will appear in the eastern sky before the sun rises. This conjunction will make the two celestial bodies appear very close to the view from Earth, even though in reality the distance from them is still very far away.

This phenomenon can be observed starting at 4:45 a.m. on December 13. This phenomenon of the Moon and Venus can continue to be observed until the sun rises.

5. Peak Geminid Meteor Showers and Total Solar Eclipse (14 December)

In one day there will be two quite stunning celestial phenomena, one of which is the peak of the Geminid Meteor Rain.

The Geminid meteor shower, usually one of the most spectacular showers of the year, runs from December 4 to December 17 each year. In 2020, the rain will reach its peak before dawn on Monday, December 14th.

Geminid meteors are often brightly colored, very colorful, and moving slower than average because of the particles dropped by an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.

The best time to watch Geminid is from complete darkness on Sunday to dawn on Monday morning. At around 2 a.m. local time, the skies above will be directed towards the densest part of the debris field, and up to 120 meteors per hour are possible in dark sky conditions.

Geminid meteors will appear to radiate from positions in the sky above the bright stars Castor and Pollux, but meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.

Meanwhile, the phenomenon that astronomers and fans have been waiting for the most, namely the total solar eclipse which will occur in mid-December, to be precise on 14 December.

In its new phase, the Moon is traveling between Earth and the Sun. Since sunlight can only reach the far side of the Moon, and the Moon is in the same region of the sky as the Sun, the moon becomes completely hidden from view for about a day.

The new moon will also produce a total solar eclipse visible in the narrow strip of the South Pacific Ocean, across southern South America, and ending at sunset in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon will not occur in Indonesia. There are only two countries that have passed the total solar eclipse, namely Chile and Argentina. This phenomenon will start at 23.01 WIB to 23.06 WIB, if calculated from Indonesian time.

Meanwhile, countries that can see this phenomenon include the Pitcairn Islands, Brazil, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Saint Helena, South Africa, Nambia and Angola.

6.The Moon's Triangle, the Planets Jupiter and Saturn (December 17)

The phenomenon this time is quite unique to look forward to, where the positions of the planets Jupiter and Saturn will be closer together on 17 December. However, when the position approaches, there will be a Moon that joins and forms a formation that is quite unique.

The planets Jupiter and Saturn will be 1 degree apart, while the Moon and the two planets are 4 degrees apart.

This phenomenon cannot be categorized as rare, because every month, the Moon will surely meet other planets, because they will pass the same ecliptic path.

7.Super conjunctions of the planets Jupiter and Saturn (17 December)

Like the phenomenon that occurred on December 17 before, the planets Jupiter and Saturn will also be close together in view of Earth. In fact, it will appear like a single star with such bright light.

This rare phenomenon would have a distance of only 0.06 degrees, or 6 arc minutes from each other. For information, this phenomenon was last seen in 1980.

The two planets are close together due to the slow motion across the planets. This phenomenon can be witnessed at 18.30 WIB when the two planets are at an altitude of 23 degrees from the western horizon.

8.Phase of the Early Rainy Month and the Ursid Meteor Rain (22 December)

Similar to the phenomenon of the Late Rainy Month, this time the Moon will also reveal its half form. The difference is that the Early Bandage is a phase seven days after the New Moon phase.

Thus, causing the Moon to rise at midday, reach its highest point on December 22 at 18.30 WIB, and set at midnight.

Meanwhile, the same day also occurs the peak of the annual Ursid Meteor Rain, produced by debris dropped by the periodic comet 8P / Tuttle, which lasts from December 17 to December 23.

The rain will peak in the early hours of Tuesday, December 22, when it sees 5 to 10 meteors per hour under the dark sky. The best time to watch is the hours before dawn.

The half-bright moon will set around midnight, making the sky clear and dark to see the meteor shower.

Ursid meteors will appear to radiate from a position in the sky above the Little Big Dipper (Little Ursa) near Polaris, but meteors can also appear anywhere in the sky.

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9. The Moon's Conjunction with the Planet Mars (24 December)

On December 24 before Christmas, the Moon will be accompanied by this planet known as the Red Planet, with a distance of only 5 degrees.

This phenomenon can be observed at 18.30 WIB until it peaks at 19.00 WIB, with an altitude of 73 degrees above the northern horizon. When observed with a telescope, Mars will only appear as a bright red star.

10. Full Moon Phase (December 30)

At the end of December, it will be closed with the phenomenon of the Full Moon sky, where the Moon will enter the Full Moon phase at 10.28 WIB.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon will only be visible on Earth when the Sun has set. It should be noted, this phenomenon occurs because the distance between the Moon and the Sun is only 180 degrees, and of course this will make the Moon 99 percent illuminated by the Sun.

11.Algol at Low Brightness (December 31st)

Algol, also called Beta Persei, is one of the most easily accessible variable stars for astronomers. The brightness of the naked eye dims markedly for about 10 hours every 2 days, 20 hours, and 49 minutes, as its dim companion star orbiting nearly Earth crosses in front of the much brighter main star, reducing our total light output.

On Thursday, December 31 at 7:10 p.m. EST (or 0:10 GMT on January 1), Algol will hit a minimum brightness of 3.4, which is almost exactly the same as the star Rho Persei (or ρ Per). At low brightness, observers in the Eastern Time zone will find Algol high in the eastern sky. Five hours later, at 12:10 p.m. EST (or 5:10 GMT), Algol will be in the middle of the western sky.