Bright Moon between the Twins

Look low in the eastern sky after dusk on Monday, December 16 to see the bright, waning gibbous moon gleaming just to the right (or celestial southwest) of Gemini’s brightest stars. Golden Pollux and the brighter, whiter double star Castor above it should still be visible against the moon’s glare. Binoculars (orange circle) will reveal a handful of smaller stars immediately to the left of the moon, marking where the brothers are grasping hands. Bright, reddish Mars will shine off to their lower left. As the night wears on, the moon’s orbital motion will carry it closer to Pollux while the diurnal rotation of the sky shifts the constellation to the moon’s right (or celestial northwest) and puts Mars above them all.