OBSERVING: December 2018.

[2-4] EARLY MORNING: Venus and Spica are some 7[degrees] apart in the southeast. Watch as the waning crescent Moon approaches the pair. Or the 2nd, the three celestial bodies form a shallow triangle, while on the 3rd, the triangle tightens, with the Moon above Venus and upper left of Spica. The Moon and Spica bookend the Morning Star on the 4th.

[2] EVENING: Algol shines at minimum brightness for roughly two hours centered at 9:53 p.m. EST (6:53 p.m. PST); see page 51.

[5] EVENING: Algol shines at minimum brightness for roughly two hours centered at 6:42 p.m. EST.

[13-14] ALL NIGHT: The Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak early in the morning of the 14th. As always with this long-lived and prolific shower, look for meteors both in the mornings preceding and those following the peak. The waxing crescent Moon will not interfere with observing as it sets several hours before the radiant climbs to its highest

[14] EVENING: The Moon and Mars are less than 4[degrees] apart as they emerge in twilight; watch as they set together in the west before midnight.

[19] EVENING: Algol shines at minimum brightness for roughly two hours centered at 11:47 p.m. PST.

[20-21] ALL NIGHT: The almost-full Moon is in the Hyades.

[22] DAWN: Try to catch Jupiter and Mercury, less than 1[degrees] separating the solar system's largest and smallest planets, low in the southeast before the Sun rises.

[21] THE LONGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter begins at the solstice, at 5:23 p.m. EST (2:23 p.m. PST; 22:23 UT).

[22] EVENING: Algol shines at minimum brightness for roughly two hours centered at 11:36 p.m. EST (8:36 p.m. PST).

[24-25] ALL NIGHT: The waning gibbous Moon starts the evening around 1/2[degrees] from the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer; by sunrise, the Moon has increased the separation to 4[degrees].

[29] DAWN: The last-quarter Moon visits Virgo again. It will be some 2[degrees] from Porrima, or Gamma ([gamma]) Virginis.