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Sky Digest

Monday, 22 December 2025 | Default Location
Showing the sky from Greenwich, London. Log in to use your own location.
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Tonight at a Glance

Waxing Crescent 7%
Dark window: 17:18 – 06:41 (13 h 23 m)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 31° alt · Gemini Details
Next GRS transit:
Io Occultation begins
Io Occultation ends
Europa Shadow transit begins
Europa Transit begins
+1 more — Details
Saturn mag 0.9 · 20° alt · Aquarius Details
Rings: Edge-on (rings nearly invisible) (0.9° north face)

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 6.7 · 31° alt · Pegasus Details
bright 2.15 AU Perihelion: Apr 19 (in 19d)

For Beginners (naked eye)

Double Cluster
NGC 869 Open Cluster
mag 4.3

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Perseus
M42
Great Orion Nebula Nebula
mag 4.0

At 21:00 look low in the southeast

Orion
M31
Andromeda Galaxy Galaxy
mag 3.4

At 21:00 look high in the west

Andromeda

Binocular Targets

Mira
68 Cet Variable Star
mag 3.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Cet
M34
Spiral Cluster Open Cluster
mag 5.5

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Perseus
M81
Bode's Galaxy Galaxy
mag 6.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the northeast

Ursa Major

Small Scopes (3–6 inch)

Castor
HIP 36850; Alpha Gem; 66 Gem Double Star
mag 2.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the east

Gem
NGC 1245
Open Cluster
mag 8.4

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Per
M76
Little Dumbbell Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 10.1

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Perseus
M77
Cetus A or Squid Galaxy Galaxy
mag 8.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Cetus
R Tri
Variable Star
mag 5.3

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Tri

Big Scopes (8–12 inch)

NGC 1220
Open Cluster
mag 12.0

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Per
C56
NGC 246 Planetary Nebula
mag 10.9

At 21:00 look low in the southwest

Cetus
C23
NGC 891 Galaxy
mag 9.9

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Andromeda
M74
Phantom Galaxy Galaxy
mag 9.4

At 21:00 look high in the southwest

Pisces
NGC 925
Galaxy
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Tri

The Week Ahead

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
🌒 7% 🌒 13% 🌒 21% 🌓 30% 🌓 40% 🌔 50% 🌔 61%

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Sunset Solstice over Stonehenge

Yesterday the Sun reached its southernmost point in planet Earth's sky. Called a solstice, many cultures mark yesterday's date as a change of seasons -- from autumn to winter in Earth's Northern Hemisphere and from spring to summer in Earth's Southern Hemisphere. The featured image was taken just before the longest night of the 2025 northern year at Stonehenge in United Kingdom. There, through stones precisely placed 4,500 years ago, a 4.5 billion year old large glowing orb is seen setting. Even given the precession of the Earth's rotational axis over the millennia, the Sun continues to set over Stonehenge in an astronomically significant way.

Image credit: English Heritage, Josh Dury — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

European eyes on Artemis

Artemis II will carry four astronauts to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, with Europe's Service Module providing critical propulsion and life support systems for the deep space mission.

ESA — 31 Mar 2026

NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon

NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $180.4 million to deliver science payloads and technology to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, supporting the Artemis program.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science

NASA selected 10 scientists to develop the lunar surface science plan for Artemis astronauts, including instrument deployment and sample collection at the Moon's south pole.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

NASA officially released the launch countdown for Artemis II, targeting no earlier than April 1, 2026, for the crewed mission carrying astronauts Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen around the Moon.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

Plan your session before dark

Use Tonight to find targets, then add them to a Plan so you have a checklist ready when you're outside.

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