This holiday season brings you stellar entertainment of the sort you have never seen before, from visible planets to glorious conjunctions and a close-up full moon. At the beginning of December, Jupiter and Venus will be in conjunction in the southwestern sky, beginning with dusk. The sky show will undoubtedly be spectacular, especially if the sky will be clear.

Between Venus and Jupiter, Venus is the brighter planet and will remain high up on the skyline all throughout the month of December. Jupiter, on the other hand, will be descending on the western horizon in December. As effervescent as always, Venus can easily be mistaken for a jetliner with its landing lights turned on, approaching the Dulles International Airport. Jupiter can be admired from the polluted urban sky. Venus will set after 8 P.M. and Jupiter before 6 P.M. at the end of the month.

Tonight, sky-watchers can enjoy the sliver of a young moon, which will be situated just below both Jupiter and Venus. Tomorrow night, however, the sliver will be easily noticed on top of the two planets. Usually, young moons can be seen in the western sky at dusk and early in the evening. Just before the month of December ends, fleet Mercury will also be visible, accompanying Jupiter at dusk. Venus will still be visible, yet somewhere above the conjunction of Jupiter and Mercury. The full moon on December 12 will be the closest to Earth since 1993, and won’t be coming as close until 2016.

Saturn will rise before 1 A.M. during the following days, but at about 11 P.M. at the end of December.