Celebration, Solstice, & a Shivery Cold Moon

As December arrives with its long nights and crisp skies, we enter one of the year’s best seasons to pause, look up, and rediscover the wonder that first drew us to Slooh.

These dark winter evenings are perfect for lingering at the telescope, revisiting old favorites, or capturing something unexpected in the deep sky. As we wrap up 2025, we’d love to celebrate the year through your eyes. Share your favorite observations and cosmic moments from the past year with the Slooh community or on your socials, and be sure to tag us; we’ll be highlighting community favorites all month long!

And don’t worry...the sky isn’t the only thing full of surprises. We have exciting updates coming in the new year, including brand new account types and more accessible ways to experience Slooh’s telescopes. Exciting January buzz is on the way! But for now, sit back, reflect on your year with Slooh, celebrate the solstice, and stay warm under that Cold Moon.

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The Holidays at Slooh

The holidays are one of our favorite seasons at Slooh, and it’s time to celebrate! We’re kicking things off with a members-only Holiday Party on December 12th, and you’re invited.

Join Slooh Founder Michael Paolucci and President Dr. Emma Louden for a celebration of the season and the unveiling of Slooh’s newest adventure - our custom member avatars! Don’t miss this festive gathering with the Slooh team and community.

Members register here

And of course, the very best part of the holidays is giving and sharing, whether it’s time, joy, or a little cosmic magic. So what's better than giving the gift of Slooh? Whether it’s a Slooh gift card, a hobbyist membership, or some cozy Slooh merch, you can wrap up the cosmos for someone you love (or treat yourself...we won’t tell).

All proceeds from our merch store go to Slooh.org, our non-profit, which grants Slooh memberships to students who wouldn't have access otherwise, so with each purchase, you not only gift merch, but also the universe to a stranger!

Here’s to community, curiosity, and clear skies this holiday season!

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Your December Skywatching Guide

December 4th: Cold Moon

December’s Full Cold Moon rises high and bright, casting a frosty glow over the longest nights of the year. This moon has long marked the deepening of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, when the air grows crisp, and the stars feel closer than ever. It’s a perfect night to step outside, breathe in the cold, and let lunar light guide your gaze across the winter sky.

December 13th: Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks

The Geminids return as one of the most dazzling meteor displays of the year, bringing up to 120 meteors per hour under dark skies. Known for their bright, bold streaks and occasional fireballs, the Geminids radiate from the constellation Gemini but can appear anywhere overhead. Bundle up, get comfortable, and enjoy this reliable and radiant December spectacle.

December 21st: Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice marks the Sun’s lowest arc across the sky and the official start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Tonight brings the longest night and the turning point of the seasons—after this, daylight slowly begins its climb back. It’s a moment to honor ancient traditions, reflect on the year, and appreciate the stillness of the solstice sky.

December 21st-22nd: Ursid Meteor Shower Peaks

As the year winds down, the understated Ursid meteor shower offers a gentle finale. Radiating from Ursa Minor, the Ursids typically produce a modest 5–10 meteors per hour, but their icy December backdrop adds to the charm. For skywatchers already out enjoying the solstice, the Ursids provide a peaceful, contemplative celestial show.

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December Quest Guide

As winter begins and the nights grow long in the Canary Islands, December offers some of the clearest skies of the year. Here are a few Quests that make the most of the season's crisp constellations and cosmic wonders.

Art Meets Astronomy: The Starry Night Over the Rhône Quest invites students to step into the world that inspired Vincent van Gogh. They’ll explore how the painting blends art and astronomy, study the Big Dipper’s stars and their Bayer designations, and learn about the Ursa Major Moving Group. Then, students use Slooh’s telescopes to recreate their own "Starry Night" over the Canary Islands.

Celestial Gems for the New Season: With winter arriving, it’s the perfect time to explore the Winter-Summer Celestial Gems Quest. Students discover how civilizations have used seasonal stars as celestial calendars for thousands of years. This Quest highlights the most brilliant galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters gracing the northern hemisphere’s winter skies and the southern hemisphere’s summer skies.

The Search for Life Continues: December’s long nights provide plenty of opportunities to take on the Are We Alone Quest (Astronomy Version/Physics Version). High School and College students capture a Milky Way-like spiral galaxy, exoplanet host-stars, and a field of stars from our own galaxy as they explore the Drake Equation and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. The physics version includes a deeper analysis of the distribution of terrestrial and gaseous planets, making it a great fit for advanced learners.

Explore Nebulae: In the Survey the Nebulae Quest, middle school students investigate the four major types of nebulae—each one a different kind of cosmic space cloud. As they capture examples using Slooh’s telescopes, they’ll discover what makes each type unique and why nebulae play such an important role in the life cycle of stars.

Spotlight on Clouds in Space: The Space Clouds (Grades 4-5) Quest guides elementary students through three spectacular kinds of nebulae: reflection, dark, and emission nebulae. Along the way, they’ll explore how light interacts with cosmic dust and gas, revealing the physics behind the Universe’s most colorful structures.

These Quests are a wonderful way to keep students curious and engaged as the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, the Southern Hemisphere heads into summer, and the year draws to a close.

Student Spotlight

This month’s spotlight shines on the Slooh leaderboard, celebrating a diverse community of members—from students and schools to passionate amateur astronomers! We wanted to highlight the top Gravity Point earners, the Slooh 1k masters, the incredible level leaders, and then the students and schools that go above and beyond!

A round of cosmic congratulations to our standout achievers:

Congratulations to "Meowth Right," our top student, to "PaulK," our top GP earner & Level 9 Hubble Member, to "Shawn Hutchinson," our top Slooh 1k master, and to the University of Oldenburg for holding their spot as top Slooh school! What a perfect time of year to reflect on the incredible passion, curiosity, and commitment these members bring to the community. Some have been exploring the cosmos with Slooh for nearly a decade, while others are just beginning their celestial journey. Keep looking up and see you Slooh stars in 2026!

Featured Slooh 1000

Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris) is a bright orange giant star in Ursa Major, forming part of the Big Dipper's bowl. A spectroscopic binary, it lies ~123 light-years from Earth and shines at magnitude 1.79. It's also featured in the new “Starry Night Over the Rhône” Quest.

Schedule your own mission to Dubhe now!

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Not yet a Slooh member? Learn more about our starter memberships and sign up at slooh.com!