Magic of the Christmas Night Sky: Planets, Asterisms, and More!

What celestial gifts does the night sky have in store for us this Christmas? From bright planets and meteor showers to unusual star patterns and deep-sky objects — try to spot them all! With the free Sky Tonight app, it’s easy: just type the name of a celestial object into the search bar, and the app will show you its position in your local sky. Read on to discover everything about this year’s Christmas sky.

Contents

• “Christmas Stars”: Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Sirius ⭐
• Christmas present: Orion 🎁
• Make a wish: The Ursid meteor shower 🌠
• Christmas tree: NGC 2264 🎄
• Christmas Goose: An unusual asterism 🪿
• Celestial reindeer: Constellation Rangifer 🦌
• Christmas night sky: Bottom line

“Christmas Stars”: Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Sirius ⭐

In Christian tradition, the "Christmas Star" is the mysterious celestial object that guided the Magi to the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem. We use this term metaphorically to describe particularly bright objects (mostly planets) that you can see during the holiday season.

The bright planet Venus (mag -4.4) shines low above the southwestern horizon in the evening sky. Look for it in the constellation Capricornus — it is easily visible to the naked eye.

The biggest planet in the Solar System, Jupiter, reached its maximum brightness during opposition with the Sun on December 7. However, the planet remains a spectacular sight throughout the rest of December and into mid-January. You can easily see Jupiter (mag -2.8) with the naked eye as a bright orange dot in the night sky. Even modest binoculars will allow you to catch a glimpse of its largest moons. The planet will be visible in the evening and at night in the constellation Taurus.

Reddish Mars rises soon after sunset and remains in the sky all night long. Look for it in the constellation Cancer. The Red Planet is moving towards its opposition on January 16, so it will be getting brighter and brighter through the end of December, up to mag -1.2.

Right on Christmas morning, the universe offers a special gift for early risers: the elusive planet Mercury will shine brightly in the dawn sky. On December 25, Mercury (mag -0.4) will reach its greatest elongation or the farthest distance from the Sun in the sky. This is the best time to observe this planet, which is hidden in the Sun’s glare for most of the year. Look for Mercury before sunrise in the constellation Ophiuchus.

Blue Sirius (mag -1.4) — the only real star in this list — appears above the horizon in the southeast by around 7:30 p.m. local time. It reaches its highest point in the southern sky shortly after midnight. The star’s high brightness and low position in the sky make it twinkle with various colors, so it’ll definitely catch your attention! You will find Sirius in the constellation Canis Major.

Want to learn about other bright stars visible in December’s sky? Read our dedicated article.

Christmas present: Orion 🎁

The constellation Orion, one of the most recognizable patterns in the night sky, shines brightly during the holiday season, resembling a cosmic “Christmas present”. Have you ever looked at it that way? Four bright stars (Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Saiph, and Rigel) outline the package, while the three stars in Orion’s Belt asterism (Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka) form a gleaming ribbon! Watch our “video poem” about Orion and its neighboring constellations, stars, and star clusters.

If you “unwrap” this celestial gift using your binoculars, you’ll find the magnificent Orion Nebula, located just below Orion’s Belt. On a clear night, you can even spot it with the naked eye as a faint, fuzzy patch. Let this stellar nursery, where new stars are born, inspire the spirit of renewal and wonder that the holiday season brings!

Make a wish: The Ursid meteor shower 🌠

What better time than Christmas to make wishes under the “falling stars”? You’ll have the perfect opportunity on December 22, when the Ursids reach their peak. This meteor shower is best visible in the northern latitudes and can produce up to 10 meteors per hour. This year, the Moon will be about 60% illuminated during the peak and will rise around midnight. We recommend starting your meteor hunt before moonrise, while the sky is still dark and unaffected by the bright moonlight.

Christmas tree: NGC 2264 🎄

About 2,500 light-years away, in the constellation Monoceros, a celestial Christmas tree glows faintly against the dark sky. This festive-looking deep-sky object, known as NGC 2264 or Christmas Tree cluster, is a star cluster embedded in a nebula. NGC 2264 spans about 30 light-years across and consists of young stars aged between 1 to 5 million years.

Although the Christmas Tree cluster has a promising apparent magnitude of 3.9, it’s difficult to see with the naked eye. We recommend using wide-field binoculars to observe it. To find out where to look for the cluster in your sky, use the Sky Tonight app.

Christmas Goose: An unusual asterism 🪿

Looking for something new for this year’s Christmas stargazing session? Chances are, you haven’t seen the Christmas Goose asterism! Information about it can be found in the book “Binocular Highlights” by astronomer Gary Seronik. The Christmas Goose is made up of about 10 bright stars near Mirfak — the brightest star in the northern constellation Perseus. Grab your binoculars and use the Sky Tonight app to find the asterism in your local sky!

Celestial reindeer: Constellation Rangifer 🦌

Here is another new target for stargazing enthusiasts! Or should we say “old”? French astronomer Pierre Charles Le Monnier created the constellation Rangifer in the 18th century, but it wasn’t included in the list of 88 officially recognized constellations, so now it’s considered “obsolete”.

In Latin, Rangifer means “reindeer”. Will you be able to find the reindeer in the sky this Christmas? Even though this constellation is gone from the modern star charts, its stars remain in the sky — they’re located between the North Star and the right side of the “M” of Cassiopeia. As many of these stars are faint, you’ll need a dark sky to find them. Use the illustration above and the Sky Tonight app as your guide.

Christmas night sky: Bottom line

The night sky offers plenty of celestial wonders this holiday season, from bright planets to unique asterisms and deep-sky objects. Whether you’re trying to spot the Christmas Tree Cluster, making a wish on the Ursids, or hunting for the celestial reindeer, there’s magic waiting above. With the Sky Tonight app as your guide, exploring the Christmas sky will be easy and fun.

We wish you clear skies and a Merry Christmas!