December 1978

1. Sun
2. Mon
3. Tue
4. Wed
5. Thu
6. Fri
7. Sat
13. 1 3%
14. 2 8%
15. 3 15%
16. 4 25%
17. 5 35%
18. 6 First qtr
19. 7 58%
20. 8 68%
21. 9 78%
22. 10 86%
23. 11 92%
24. 12 97%
25. 13 99%
26. 14 Full
27. 15 98%
28. 16 95%
29. 17 91%
30. 18 85%
31. 19 77%
32. 20 69%
33. 21 60%
34. 22 Last qtr
35. 23 41%
36. 24 31%
37. 25 21%
38. 26 13%
39. 27 6%
40. 28 2%
41. 29 New
42. 30 1%
43. 31 5%

• Moon phase
• Perigee or apogee
• Eclipse
• Planets
• Equinox or solstice

Events in December 1978

1. Fri, Dec 11:40 AM

   Mars, Mercury, Moon, and Neptune gathered

   All within 5.7° of each other in the sky.

2. Sat, Dec 28:45 AM

   Mercury and Neptune close together

   They pass 1.1° apart in the sky.

3. Sat, Dec 2

   Perigee

   The Moon's closest point to Earth on this orbit: 363,700 km.

4. Tue, Dec 54:24 PM

   Mercury at inferior conjunction

   Passes between Earth and the Sun and is lost in its glare.

5. Wed, Dec 67:34 PM

   First Quarter

   Half of the disc is lit. The Moon is high at sunset and sets around midnight.

6. Sun, Dec 105:55 AM

   Neptune behind the Sun

   On the far side of the Sun and lost in its glare.

7. Mon, Dec 114:54 AM

   Venus at its brightest

   Shines at magnitude -4.9, as bright as it gets this time around.

8. Thu, Dec 147:31 AM

   Full Moon Cold Moon

   The whole disc is lit. The Moon rises around sunset and stays up all night.

9. Mon, Dec 183:16 AM

   Moon and Jupiter close together

   They pass 4.0° apart in the sky.

10. Mon, Dec 18

    Apogee

    The Moon's farthest point from Earth on this orbit: 405,600 km.

11. Thu, Dec 213:43 AM

    Moon and Saturn close together

    They pass 2.4° apart in the sky.

12. Fri, Dec 2212:20 AM

    December solstice

    The shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest in the southern.

13. Fri, Dec 2212:42 PM

    Last Quarter

    Half of the disc is lit. The Moon rises around midnight and is up through the morning.

14. Sun, Dec 243:48 PM

    Mercury at greatest elongation

    22° from the Sun in the morning sky, its best showing before sunrise.

15. Mon, Dec 253:41 PM

    Venus and Uranus close together

    They pass 3.2° apart in the sky.

16. Tue, Dec 266:45 AM

    Moon, Uranus, and Venus gathered

    All within 4.0° of each other in the sky.

17. Tue, Dec 267:05 AM

    Moon and Uranus close together

    They pass 4.0° apart in the sky.

18. Tue, Dec 267:56 AM

    Moon and Venus close together

    They pass 0.7° apart in the sky.

19. Thu, Dec 281:10 AM

    Moon and Mercury close together

    They pass 3.4° apart in the sky.

20. Thu, Dec 285:05 AM

    Mercury, Moon, and Neptune gathered

    All within 4.1° of each other in the sky.

21. Thu, Dec 288:03 AM

    Moon and Neptune close together

    They pass 3.6° apart in the sky.

22. Fri, Dec 292:36 PM

    New Moon

    The Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and cannot be seen. These are the darkest nights of the month.

23. Sat, Dec 30

    Perigee

    The Moon's closest point to Earth on this orbit: 358,800 km.

24. Sun, Dec 311:28 PM

    Mercury and Neptune close together

    They pass 0.3° apart in the sky.

Times are local to America/New York. Each Moon is drawn as it looks at midday.