{"id":650634,"date":"2025-12-23T15:43:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T15:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/650634\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T15:43:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T15:43:31","slug":"these-are-the-best-targets-to-observe-over-the-christmas-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/650634\/","title":{"rendered":"These are the best targets to observe over the Christmas holidays."},"content":{"rendered":"

There are few better ways to spend the long winter nights than under a crisp, clear December sky \u2014 and between Christmas and New Year\u2019s Eve 2025, the Northern Hemisphere night sky will be at its very best. A waxing moon will glide past Saturn, the Pleiades and Jupiter \u2014 now shining brightly in the east, right on cue, as a \u201cChristmas Star \u2014 while deep-sky wonders like the Rosette Nebula rise high around midnight. Whether you\u2019re trying out one of the best beginner telescopes<\/a> gifted to you, you\u2019re trying out stargazing with binoculars<\/a> or you\u2019re using only your eyes, here\u2019s what to see in the night sky this holiday season.<\/p>\n

If you want better views of the night sky, we have expert-led guides to the best telescopes<\/a>, binoculars<\/a> and cameras<\/a> to view and image the heavens.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, Dec. 24: A crescent moon <\/p>\n

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A 20%-illuminated waxing crescent moon will shine with Fomalhaut and Saturn on Christmas Eve. (Image credit: Starry Night)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for the quiet wonder of Christmas Eve, turn your gaze to the southwest sky as it gets dark. There, nicely illuminated, though not yet bright, will be a waxing crescent moon. A fifth of what you\u2019ll see will be its day-side; the other four-fifths \u2014 its night-side \u2014 will be gently lit by sunlight reflected from our planet \u2014 Earthshine. If you have binoculars or a small telescope, point them at the terminator, that line between day and night, to see long shadows and craters in relief. Naked eye observers should look to the left of the moon for Fomalhaut (below) and Saturn (above).<\/p>\n

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Also read: How to choose binoculars for astronomy and skywatching<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday, Dec. 25: Jupiter as the \u2018Star of Bethlehem\u2019<\/p>\n

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Jupiter is now just two weeks from its annual opposition, so it is as bright as it ever gets. (Image credit: Starry Night)<\/p>\n

Christmas Day needs a \u201cChristmas Star,\u201d and what better candidate than Jupiter, which tonight shines at magnitude -2.5 in the constellation Gemini. Look to the east anytime after dark, and you\u2019ll see the giant planet close to \u201cthe twins\u201d of Gemini \u2014 the stars Castor and Pollux \u2014 as it shines brighter than anything else in the night sky, save for the moon. Now is the ideal time to observe Jupiter, which reaches its annual opposition \u2014 when Earth is between it and the sun \u2014 on Jan. 10, 2026. Typically, an outer planet is at its best for a couple of weeks either side of its opposition; any small telescope should allow a glimpse of its cloud bands, with a 6-inch telescope able to see its Great Red Spot (when it\u2019s facing Earth).<\/p>\n

Also read: Best telescopes for seeing planets in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday, Dec. 26: Saturn and the moon in conjunction<\/p>\n

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Boxing Day sees the moon meet Saturn in a close conjunction. (Image credit: Starry Night)<\/p>\n

Get out of the house as soon as it gets dark on Boxing Day for one of the most beautiful sights of the week, a crescent moon and the planet Saturn. Now a 41%-illuminated waxing crescent, the moon will appear to curl around the sixth planet, and the two will be separated by a mere four degrees. That\u2019s a bit less than the width of your three middle fingers held at arm\u2019s length against the sky. Saturn will appear as a steady, golden point of light, though you\u2019ll need a small telescope to glimpse its ring pattern.<\/p>\n

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!<\/p>\n

Also read: Best beginner telescopes<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, Dec. 27: Lava plains on the first quarter moon<\/p>\n

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A first-quarter moon will rise on Dec. 27, 2025. (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s half-day, half-night on the moon tonight as it reaches its first quarter phase in the southern sky. For amateur astronomers, it\u2019s a bittersweet moment \u2014 the next week will see the moon grow in brightness as it waxes towards full, making faint star clusters, galaxies and nebulae harder to see. However, a \u201chalf-moon\u201d is one of the best times to explore the lunar surface if you have a pair of binoculars. The line between light and dark \u2014 the terminator \u2014 cuts right down the middle tonight, causing long shadows to stretch across the lunar plains, making every bump and ridge stand out like a black-and-white relief map. The dark regions you see on the right-hand side of the moon are called maria, Latin for seas, but these are no oceans. These are vast plains of lava that solidified billions of years ago in the aftermath of asteroids slamming into the young moon.<\/p>\n

Also read: Best telescopes for deep space<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sunday, Dec. 28: Rosette Nebula<\/p>\n

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A small telescope will allow you to view the Rosette Nebula at its best on Dec. 28, 2025. (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

If you have a small telescope, find the ruddy star Betelgeuse in Orion and range left to the quiet constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn, home to an open cluster of stars about 5,000 light-years from the solar system. The Rosette Nebula (also called NGC 2244 and Caldwell 49) is an emission nebula \u2014 a cloud of gas that emits its own light because it’s being energized by radiation from nearby stars \u2014 and a star-forming region. A flower-like shape, it\u2019s visible through a pair of 10×50 or 15×70 binoculars in very dark skies, or easily in a small telescope. According to In-The-Sky.org<\/a>, the Rosette Nebula is now well placed, reaching its highest in the sky around midnight local time. If you have trouble finding it, draw an imaginary line from Betelgeuse in Orion toward Procyon in Canis Minor. About one-third of the way along that line, just south of it, is the region of the Rosette Nebula. It\u2019s about three times the diameter of the full moon.<\/p>\n

Also read: Best smart telescopes<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday, Dec. 29: Orion\u2019s Snake<\/p>\n

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Trace an \u2019S\u2019 shape of stars in Orion\u2019s Belt on Dec. 29, 2025. (Image credit: Starry Night)<\/p>\n

Orion\u2019s Belt \u2014 the famous trio of stars in Orion, sometimes nicknamed the \u201cBelt of Orion\u201d or the \u201cThree Kings\u201d \u2014 is an icon of the late-December night sky. Look east tonight for Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, strung out in a neat row, rising into the eastern sky as soon as it gets dark. Put a pair of binoculars on them, and you\u2019ll discover great riches. Just to the right is, of course, the Great Nebula in Orion (also called M42). Lesser known is a delicate chain of faint stars curving across the field of view in a subtle \u201cS\u201d shape, running from just above Mintaka to just below Alnilam. It\u2019s very clear through binoculars.<\/p>\n

Also read: Best binoculars this holiday season<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, Dec. 30: Jupiter\u2019s Galilean moons<\/p>\n

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See Jupiter\u2019s moons on Dec. 30, 2025. (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Jupiter getting close to its opposition means more than it merely becoming brighter. Since it\u2019s closest to Earth (about four Earth-sun distances), its disk is bigger in the sky, and it\u2019s visible all night. Jupiter\u2019s opposition is also the best time to see its largest four moons \u2014 Io, Callisto, Ganymede and Europa. These moons, called Galilean moons because they were first spotted by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610, can be seen in any small telescope as pinpricks of light, but also in binoculars.<\/p>\n

Also read: Best telescopes for deep space<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, Dec. 31: Pleiades and the moon in conjunction<\/p>\n

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See the Pleiades and the moon close together on Dec. 31, 2025. (Image credit: Starry Night)<\/p>\n

As your final stargazing act of the year, step outside as it gets dark and find Orion\u2019s Belt, that iconic trio of bright stars, rising from the eastern horizon like an arrow. Trace Orion\u2019s Belt upward, and high above it, you\u2019ll find the moon, now 92% illuminated. Just above the moon will be the Pleiades \u2014 also known as the Seven Sisters and M45 \u2014 one of the closest open clusters of stars to the solar system. The bright moonlight may make it hard to see the Pleiades with the naked eye, but any pair of binoculars should bring them into view.<\/p>\n

Also read: How to choose binoculars for astronomy and skywatching<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are few better ways to spend the long winter nights than under a crisp, clear December sky…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3844],"tags":[70,413,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-650634","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-space","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115769654511844374","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}