Tonight’s gibbous moon appears high in the eastern sky after sunset. The moon is moving through the zodiacal constellation Taurus, the bull.

Venus is so close at the moment that you might be able to see the horns, also called cusps.

The year in weather saw average temperatures and rainfall, but heavy snowfall.

The Vineyard received a total of 36 inches of snow this year, almost a foot above average. A huge blizzard impacted most of the northeast corridor back in February. Boston received 25 inches of drifting snow, but only five inches fell in Edgartown. This remains the worst storm of the year, and on the mainland it approached the worst blizzard of the decade.

Winter arrives tomorrow at 11 minutes after noon. Daylight is at a premium now. This weekend and the days ahead are the shortest of the year.

The Geminid is the biggest meteor shower of the year, even bigger than the Perseid meteor shower. Skywatchers who wish to brave the cold can view the display after 3 a.m. Saturday.

Tonight the crescent moon appears above the bright planet Venus. The two are in the western sky. This weekend the moon will appear to move slowly away from Venus.