Night sky December 2026 UK: planets, Moon and meteor showers
What to see from Britain in December 2026, with times worked out for UK skies rather than copied from American guides.
December has the longest nights of the year and the whole winter sky is up by mid-evening. Saturn is in the evening sky, and Venus, Mars and Jupiter are best before dawn in mid-December 2026. Uranus and Neptune are also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The full Moon, the Cold Moon, is on Thursday 24 December 2026. The Geminids peak on the night of 13 to 14 December, with the Moon 20% lit. The Ursids peak on the night of 22 to 23 December, with the Moon 98% lit.
December 2026 night sky: key dates
| Date | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 1 December | Last Quarter at about 06:05 GMT |
| Wednesday 9 December | New Moon at about 00:55 GMT |
| Sunday 13 December | Geminids meteor shower peaks on the night of 13 to 14 December (Moon 20% lit) |
| Thursday 17 December | First Quarter at about 05:45 GMT |
| Monday 21 December | December solstice: the longest night of the year (about 20:50 GMT) |
| Tuesday 22 December | Ursids meteor shower peaks on the night of 22 to 23 December (Moon 98% lit) |
| Thursday 24 December | Full Moon, the Cold Moon at about 01:30 GMT |
| Wednesday 30 December | Last Quarter at about 19:00 GMT |
Times are UK local time, rounded to five minutes. For what's up on a particular night, see the UK night sky this week and the 7-night astronomy weather forecast.
When does it get dark in December in the UK?
On 15 December the Sun sets at about 15:55 GMT in central England and the sky is dark enough for stargazing from about 17:20 until 06:45. True astronomical darkness, which faint galaxies and the Milky Way need, lasts from about 18:00 to 06:05.
| Date | Sunset | Dark enough to stargaze | Astronomical darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 December | 16:00 GMT | 17:20 to 06:35 | 18:00 to 05:50 |
| 15 December | 15:55 GMT | 17:20 to 06:45 | 18:00 to 06:05 |
| 31 December | 16:05 GMT | 17:30 to 06:55 | 18:10 to 06:10 |
For Birmingham. "Dark enough" means the Sun is 12° below the horizon; astronomical darkness means 18°. Around midsummer it never gets that dark in Edinburgh or anywhere further north. In midwinter Edinburgh is dark about 5 minutes earlier than Birmingham and Plymouth about 15 minutes later; in spring and autumn the whole country is within about 15 minutes of these times.
Planets visible in December 2026
Saturn is in the evening sky, and Venus, Mars and Jupiter are best before dawn in mid-December 2026. Uranus and Neptune are also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The details below are for 15 December from central England; times move by a few minutes from night to night.
Not well placed this month: Mercury.
Moon phases December 2026
| Phase | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Last Quarter | Tuesday 1 December, about 06:05 GMT |
| New Moon | Wednesday 9 December, about 00:55 GMT |
| First Quarter | Thursday 17 December, about 05:45 GMT |
| Full Moon | Thursday 24 December, about 01:30 GMT |
| Last Quarter | Wednesday 30 December, about 19:00 GMT |
The best evenings for faint targets this month are 1 to 11 and 26 to 31 December, when the Moon is out of the sky for at least the first hour after dark. The full Moon is the Cold Moon; our moon phase tonight page shows the Moon for any night.
Meteor showers in December 2026
- Geminids: peak on the night of 13 to 14 December. Up to 150 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is a waxing crescent (20% lit), setting at about 20:05, so it will not spoil the view.
- Ursids: peak on the night of 22 to 23 December. Up to 10 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is full (98% lit) and is up all night, so faint targets will suffer.
Also active this month: Quadrantids, Northern Taurids.
For a quick verdict on any night, see is there a meteor shower tonight, and the UK meteor shower calendar for the year ahead.
Constellations and deep-sky objects in December
Taurus and the Pleiades are high in the south-east, Orion is well up in the east by mid-evening, and Gemini and Auriga are climbing. Cassiopeia is overhead and Pegasus sets in the west.
- The Pleiades (M45), high in the south
- The Orion Nebula (M42), well placed by late evening
- The Auriga clusters M36, M37 and M38
To find your way around, our constellation guides show each star pattern, and binocular astronomy explains how to star-hop to clusters like these. For the darkest skies near you, try the UK dark sky sites map.
Kit for a month of stargazing
Kit we've reviewed in full
Nothing on this page needs more than your eyes, but a star chart and a red light make finding things far easier, and binoculars show the Moon's craters, Jupiter's moons and the best star clusters.
Philip's Planisphere (latitude 51.5° North)
Turn the wheel to the date and time and it shows exactly which constellations are up. Made for 51.5° north, so it matches the sky over Britain.
Lepro Rechargeable Head Torch with Red Light (2 pack)
Red light lets you read a chart without undoing the 20 minutes your eyes need to adapt to the dark.
The UK astronomy forums' standard first pair: waterproof, bright and the right size for clusters, the Moon and the Milky Way.
Our best binoculars for stargazing
Honest, research-based recommendations for every budget.
Browse all →Affiliate links: you pay the same price, we earn a small commission that helps keep WatchTheStars free.
Every figure on this page is calculated for central England (52.5° north) when the site rebuilds each night, using the same methods as our stargazing tonight tool, checked against the JPL ephemeris. Each month's page moves on to the following year once the month ends.