| Night Time: | 14 hours, 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Sunset: | Dec 17 at 4:33 pm |
| End of Twilight*: | Dec 17 at 5:40 pm |
| Start of Twilight*: | Dec 18 at 6:17 am |
| Sunrise: | Dec 18 at 7:23 am |
Winter Solstice: Shortest Day, but Not the Latest Sunrise
December 21, 2024, is the winter solstice and the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. But the Sun continues to rise later each morning—what’s going on?
Our Interactive Night Sky Map simulates the sky above 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W. The Moon and planets have been enlarged slightly for clarity. On mobile devices, tap to steer the map by pointing your device at the sky. Need some help?
Currently showing previous night. For planet visibility in the coming night, please check again after 12 noon.
Tonight's Sky in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W, Dec 17 – Dec 18, 2024
Mercury rise and set in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
Fairly close to the Sun. Visible only before sunrise and/or after sunset.
Mercury is just 20 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see.
Wed, Dec 18 ↑5:40 am
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Venus rise and set in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
View after sunset.
Venus can best be seen in the hours just after sunset. Visibility improves as the sunlight fades. Venus is visible by day, but may be hard to find.
Tue, Dec 17 ↓8:06 pm
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Mars rise and set in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
Most of the night until sunrise.
Mars is visible during most of the night, but it is best viewed in the early morning hours and until sunrise.
Tue, Dec 17 ↑7:19 pm
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Jupiter rise and set in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
Up most of the night.
Jupiter is roughly in the opposite direction of the Sun, so it is visible during most of the night.
Wed, Dec 18 ↓6:33 am
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Saturn rise and set in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
View after sunset.
Saturn can best be seen in the hours just after sunset. Visibility improves as the sunlight fades.
Tue, Dec 17 ↓10:48 pm
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Uranus rise and set in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
After sunset and most of the night. Bring binoculars.
Uranus is visible during most of the night, but it is best viewed in the late evening hours after sunset. You may need binoculars.
Wed, Dec 18 ↓4:51 am
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Neptune rise and set in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
View after sunset. Use binoculars.
Neptune can be seen for more than 7 hours after sunset and during the late evening/early night. Very faint, use binoculars.
Tue, Dec 17 ↓11:59 pm
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Planets Visible in 41°30'46"N, 90°30'10"W
| Planetrise/Planetset, Wed, Dec 18, 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet | Rise | Set | Meridian | Comment |
| Mercury | Wed 5:40 am | Wed 3:26 pm | Wed 10:33 am | Slightly difficult to see |
| Venus | Tue 10:23 am | Tue 8:06 pm | Tue 3:15 pm | Good visibility |
| Mars | Tue 7:19 pm | Wed 10:13 am | Wed 2:46 am | Perfect visibility |
| Jupiter | Tue 3:41 pm | Wed 6:33 am | Tue 11:07 pm | Perfect visibility |
| Saturn | Tue 11:43 am | Tue 10:48 pm | Tue 5:16 pm | Average visibility |
| Uranus | Tue 2:28 pm | Wed 4:51 am | Tue 9:39 pm | Average visibility |
| Neptune | Tue 12:11 pm | Tue 11:59 pm | Tue 6:05 pm | Difficult to see |
