The new moon of December occurs tonight. A day later, Southern Hemisphere observers will see the peak of the Phoenicid meteor shower, and on Dec. 4 the waxing moon will make a close pass to Venus in the evening sky.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the winter season takes hold, December’s clear, crisp nights offer stargazers a dazzling array of nighttime sights. From the Orion constellation to the bright planet Venus and the annual Geminids meteor shower.

Open star clusters sparkle as Luna and Venus line up and Jupiter’s moons jockey for position in the sky this week.

With the moon sliding past a brilliant Venus — now crazy-bright after sunset — and Jupiter reaching its brightest and best of the year, November is sure to be a great month for astrophotography. The nights are getting longer,