| |   Look up this week to see a spectacular natural light show filled with planetary shenanigans, moongazing treats and the occasional rendezvous with a star cluster or two! The final full moon of 2025 — also known as the "Cold Moon" — is set to take flight among the stars of the constellation Taurus on Dec. 4, as bright craters and the dark expanses of lunar seas scar its ancient, storied surface.
Beyond that we can look forward to Mercury shining at its farthest from the sun in the morning sky and a dramatic lunar liaison with Jupiter, the king of the planets, which will shine in the eastern sky with the Gemini "twins" Castor and Pollux throughout the night on Dec. 6. Here's what to watch for this week. Clear skies, Anthony Wood Sky Watching Writer, Space.com | |  | | (Starry Night) | Look for a trio of colossal craters —Copernicus, Kepler and Aristarchus — pockmarking the ancient lunar sea Oceanus Procellarum on the night of Dec. 1, on the left side of the Earth-facing lunar disk. Ejecta streaks will be visible surrounding the bright craters, created when reflective material was cast across the lunar surface during the impacts that formed the vast impact sites. | |  | | (Starry Night.) |
The moon will pass across the face of the Pleiades open star cluster from the perspective of stargazers in the U.S. and Europe on the night of Dec. 3, though the glare of the near-full moon will make it a struggle to spot even the brightest members of its 1,000-strong stellar population. | |  | | (Starry Night.) |
December's full moon rises in the constellation Taurus on Dec. 4 and will be visible throughout the night as it appears opposite the sun in Earth's sky. This particular moon is often known as the full "Cold Moon", in reference to the falling temperatures that are common around this time as the Northern Hemisphere slips from autumn to winter. | |  | | (Starry Night.) | Overnight on Dec. 5-6, stargazers in the Pacific region containing Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji will see the fully-lit moon pass in front of the bright star Elnath, which represents the tip of the northern horn of the celestial bull depicted by the constellation Taurus. Be sure to use a stargazing astronomy app to find out exactly when the occultation will occur from your location! | |  | | (Starry Night.) | Look to the east on Dec. 6 to see the moon shine alongside Jupiter in the heart of the constellation Gemini. The two brightest stars in the constellation — Castor and Pollux — will be visible to the left of the lunar disk, representing the heads of the celestial twins portrayed in the stellar formation. | |  | | (Starry Night.) | Mercury reaches its point of greatest separation from the sun in its morning apparition at 7:14 p.m. EST on Dec. 7 (0014 GMT on Dec. 8). As such, the predawn hours on both Dec. 7 and 8 present a good opportunity to hunt for the elusive world above the southeastern horizon, though its low altitude of just 21 degrees will still make it a tricky viewing target. | |  | | (Starry Night.) | Gaze towards the southwestern sky in the hours preceding dawn on Dec. 8 to see the glowing form of the waning gibbous form close to the Beehive open star cluster in the constellation Cancer, the crab. The stars of the Beehive Cluster — also known as Praesepe, or Messier 44 — will be easier to spot with a pair of quality binoculars! | | | This month's full moon phase will occur at 6:14 p.m. EST (2314 GMT) on Dec. 4, when the moon will appear fully lit opposite the sun in Earth's sky. The December full moon is known as the "Cold Moon", or the "Long Nights Moon" in reference to the dropping temperatures and drawn out nights that are experienced as autumn gives way to winter in the Northern Hemisphere. December's full moon will also occur when the moon is close to its lowest point in its elliptical monthly orbit, giving rise to a beautiful "supermoon", which can appear significantly brighter and larger than the smallest moon of the year, sometimes referred to as a "micromoon". Want to explore more? Check out our ultimate guide to observing the moon for tips and tools to get the most out of each phase. | | | | Scientists may have "heard" the first tantalizing evidence of primordial black holes formed directly from overly dense pockets of matter just after the Big Bang. | | | Astrophotographer Ronald Brecher captured a magnificent view of a nebula lion roaring in deep space from his home in Ontario, Canada. The "Lion Nebula" Sh2-132 is located roughly 10,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus and was imaged over the course of 35 hours spread across several nights in October earlier this year. | | | | Astronomy Kit and Accessories | | | We've scoured the net for the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on space-related gear, from telescopes to cameras and more. | | | These are the best telescopes for stargazing and astronomy. Cyber Monday has just started. | | | | Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. | |  | |  | Follow Night Sky This Week |  |  |  |  | | | | | Future US LLC © | | Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036. | | | |
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