Skynotes for Dec 22-31 for Denton / North Texas

True “dark sky” begins around 6:54–6:58 pm each night this week. 

3 naked-eye wins (all week)

Jupiter rising in the east in the evening; bright all night.  Saturn in the west early evening, setting before midnight.  Orion climbing later in the evening (look for the 3-star “belt”). (No special gear.)

1 trick (this week’s quick event)

Ursids meteor shower: active through Dec 26, peak centered around Dec 21–22 / Dec 22 (timing varies by source), typically a low-rate shower but fun in dark skies. 

Moonlight (why earlier nights are better)

Moon grows from a thin crescent early week to First Quarter on Dec 27 (about 1:09 pm local), meaning brighter evenings toward the weekend. 

Weather + “Argyle Seeing Score (ASS)”

Clouds: generally favorable through Saturday; cooler/mostly cloudy Sunday. Dew/Turbulence note: warm + breezy often means less dew but more shimmer (atmospheric wobble). ASS (estimate): Mon–Sat 6/10, Sun 4/10 (rough guess based on forecast only).

The big change this week isn’t the planets—it’s the Moon: darker early week, brighter by weekend. 

Verified visuals (no-login sources)

• Denton Sun/Moon + twilight times: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa/denton 
• Denton December twilight table: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/denton?month=12 
• Ursids (American Meteor Society calendar): https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/  Ursids viewing guide (Planetary Society): https://www.planetary.org/articles/your-guide-meteor-shower 

Nerd Appendix (numbers stay here)

Night begins ~6:54–6:58 pm (astronomical dusk) this week. 

Sunset runs 5:26 → 5:29 pm across Dec 22–28. 

Moon illumination (Denton): ~8% (Dec 22) → ~64% (Dec 28).