There are many things you can see over the coming week. The December sky is full of amazing celestial bodies. All you have to do to see them all, however, is to get up at night. Sky & Telescope reports that comet Catalina appears to be about a magnitude brighter than expected, as it rises into view in the east at sunrise. Alan MacRobert says it is on track to shine at 6th magnitude, not 5th as it climbs higher into the eastern predawn sky this month and next. Binoculars and small telescopes should allow you to easily see the comet. Virgo is visible in the morning hours before dawn. The comet turned around the sun last month and is now rapidly approaching Earth. NASA says comet Catalina has been residing mainly in the Southern Hemisphere skies. Its highly inclined orbit will take it into the northern skies in December. Image: apod.nasa.gov. Vinita Domier wrote in The Davis Enterprise that Catalina would not appear very bright but will still be easily spotted as it nears clearly identifiable objects in space. Catalina will appear to be close to Venus in the early hours of Monday Dec. 7. Catalina will appear in conjunction with Arcturus, a bright star in the Bootes constellation in the morning sky on Jan. 1. Comet Catalina (C /2013 US 10)) is an Oort-cloud comet discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in 31st Oct, HTML3. It is a rocky chunk made up of rock, dust, gases, and water. Given its orbital time of several million years, it is thought to have been a first visitor to the inner Solar System. An annual Geminid shower. The Geminid meteor Shower will return next week, as Earth crosses a trail left behind by the 3200 Phaethon, a asteroid. The Geminid meteor shower begins on December 7th and lasts until the 16th, peaking on the evening of 13th/14th. Image: Metoffice.gov.uk. The Geminid meteor shower is great with as many as 120 stars streaking across the sky every hour. According to NASA and the UK Met Office, this number can reach up to 50 each hour. It happens as often as clockwork. To catch the Gemini constellation, you don’t need to search for it. The meteors will not only streak across the sky, but they also start at this constellation. You will only need warm clothing, hot beverages and clear skies. According to the UK Met Office, the Geminid meteor Shower’s peak will be in December 13th or 14th. It will allow you to view more stars than per hour. These shooting stars are often bright, and they have persistent trains that last for a long time. Most celestial meteor showers we see come from a comet. They are not the Geminid meteors, they originate from an asteroid. These meteors are a bit more difficult to spot than other types of showers because they’re very gritty, rocky. (Image: Metoffice.gov.uk). NASA has stated that this year’s Geminids will reach their peak on December 14 in the United States. However, meteor rates will be good the night before, and the night after. They will start at 9 to 10 PM. Met Office Video: The Geminid meteor Shower
