24 nights of December sky: one thing to look up and see
Each door shows one real event in the December 2026 sky, like the Geminid meteors, the earliest sunset of the year or the solstice, plus your own sunset time if you'd like it.
What's in the December 2026 sky
December has the year's earliest sunsets (around December 5 to 10 at mid-northern latitudes), the Geminid meteor shower on the night of December 13 to 14 with only a thin crescent Moon, the winter solstice on December 21 at 20:50 UTC, and a full Cold Moon on the evening of December 23 in the Americas. Venus is the morning star all month. Moon times and the solstice were calculated for 2026, and the Geminid and planet notes are for the Northern Hemisphere.
Your location is only used in your browser to work out your sunset time, and it's never sent anywhere.
Asterfold shows where the Sun will set from the exact spot you watch, when golden hour and blue hour fall, and keeps a record of what the sky actually did.
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Tap Daily 8 am reminder above. Your iPhone, Mac, Google or Outlook calendar adds 24 short events, one per door, each with a link straight back here. Remove them any time like any other calendar event.
Questions
- When is the Geminid meteor shower in 2026?
- The Geminids peak on the night of December 13 to 14, 2026. The crescent Moon sets in the mid-evening, so the hours after 10 pm are dark and good for watching.
- When is the winter solstice in 2026?
- December 21, 2026, at 20:50 UTC (3:50 pm Eastern). It's the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Why is the earliest sunset before the solstice?
- Solar noon drifts later through December because of Earth's tilted axis and its elliptical orbit. So, around 40° north, the earliest sunset comes around December 5 to 10, while the latest sunrise is in early January.
- When is the full moon in December 2026?
- The Cold Moon is full at 01:28 UTC on December 24, which is the evening of December 23 in North America.