The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 1978
Highlights this month
- 6WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:26am)
- 10SunNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:13pm)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:02am)
- 18MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (7:46pm)
- 21ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (8:05pm)
- 22FriSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 25MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (22° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (7:47am)
- 26TueSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:51am)
- 26TueThe Moon passes Venus — 0.7° apart. (11:53pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:51am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Sat 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Tue 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Sat 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 48m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 7, 11:33am
- Full MoonThu 14, 11:31pm
- Last QuarterSat 23, 4:43am
- New MoonSat 30, 6:42am
Perigee 3 Dec (363,500 km) · Apogee 19 Dec (405,700 km) · Perigee 31 Dec (358,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | 0.4 | 5:00am | 12:02pm | 7:05pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −4.7 | 3:45am | 10:29am | 5:13pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 6:28am | 1:54pm | 9:21pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.3 | 11:27pm | 4:32am | 9:32am | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.7 | 1:14am | 6:50am | 12:27pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.7 | 3:54am | 10:53am | 5:51pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 5:41am | 12:56pm | 8:10pm | Hidden |
Meteor showers
- Geminids — peaks 14 December, radiant in Gemini (up to 150/hr). The richest shower of the year; the radiant reaches a useful altitude after local midnight, so it rewards southern observers well. A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- Ursids — peaks 22 December, radiant in Ursa Minor (up to 10/hr). A circumpolar northern shower whose radiant never rises from Victoria. A 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 1978
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
Open the full interactive orrery ↗ — fast-forward, pick any date, toggle the Moon and more.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 23 August 2026.