Best Astrophotography Dates in December 2025: Night Sky Calendar
- Ryan Oswald
- 53 minutes ago
- 2 min read
What to shoot in the night sky in December 2025
The Milky Way core is not visible at night this month. Shift to deep-sky: Andromeda, Triangulum, Pleiades, California Nebula, Orion Complex (M42/Running Man + Horsehead/Flame). Meteor highlights are the Geminids (Dec 13–14) and the Ursids (Dec 21–22). Full Moon: Dec 4 (Cold Moon, also a supermoon). New Moon: Dec 19.
Top Astrophotography Nights — December 2025
Deep-sky prime: Dec 15–23 (centered on New Moon Dec 19)
Good: Dec 13–14 (waning crescent), Dec 24–26 (thin waxing crescent)
Skip: Dec 1–12 (gibbous → full) and Dec 27–31 (bright evening moon).
Meteor Showers
Geminids
Peak Night: Dec 13–14 (late night → pre-dawn)
Active Window: Dec 4–17
Best Time to Shoot: 10:00 PM to pre-dawn (radiant climbs; fast, bright meteors)
Expected Rate: Up to ~120/hr under dark skies; ~30% moon → still excellent.
Ursids
Peak Night: Dec 21–22 (late night → pre-dawn)
Active Window: Dec 17–26
Best Time to Shoot: After midnight → dawn (circumpolar radiant at northerly lats)
Expected Rate: ~10/hr; ~3% moon → dark conditions.
(Bonus: NASA also flags Dec 7 Moon–Jupiter conjunction and Dec 19 closest approach of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, a telescopic target. )
Days You Can Shoot the Milky Way Core in December
0
Moon Phases
🌕
FULL MOON
DECEMBER 4
(“Cold Moon,” supermoon)
Best Time to Shoot the Moon: After moonrise Dec 4
Direction in Sky: Rising in the East (sets in the West near sunrise).
🌑
NEW MOON
DECEMBER 19
Planets
Jupiter: extremely bright and high in the evening; opposition occurs Jan 10, 2026, so December is excellent.
Uranus: visible all night.
Saturn/Neptune: evening targets; lower and earlier each night in December.
Deep-sky “Bridge” Targets (ready-to-shoot)
Target | Where/When | How to find |
Andromeda (M31) | High NE→S all evening | near Cassiopeia |
Triangulum (M33) | High E→S | near Andromeda |
Pleiades (M45) | E→SE evening | near Taurus |
California Nebula (NGC 1499) | NE→E | near Pleiades |
Orion Nebula (M42) | E late; highest near midnight+ | in Orion's Belt |
Horsehead + Flame | ESE after midnight | near Orion's Eastern most star |
Tips & Guides
Geminids: Face E→SE after 10 PM, run 10–20 s timelapses; foregrounds with sky-filling radiant lines.
Ursids: Watch Dec 21–22; dark sky this year—slow cadence timelapses between deep-sky runs.
New-moon run (Dec 15–23): Prioritize M31/M33/Pleiades/California early; switch to Orion/Horsehead after midnight.
Want higher quality night sky images? Check out our How to Use Starry Landscape Stacker
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FAQ: Astrophotography in December
Can I still shoot the Milky Way core in December?
No. Focus on deep-sky. Use Dec 15–23 for long tracked sets.
Is the full moon special this month?
Yes. The Cold Moon on Dec 4 is a supermoon; shoot moonrise landscapes.
Which meteor shower should I prioritize?
Geminids (Dec 13–14) for volume, Ursids (Dec 21–22) for dark-sky ease.