The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 1980
Highlights this month
- 2TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (6:24am)
- 2TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (9:51am)
- 14SunGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 41% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 14SunNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:50pm)
- 22MonSummer solstice.
- 22MonUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (8:30pm)
- 29MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (8:46pm)
- 31WedJupiter and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (12:24pm)
- 31WedMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:47pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:51am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Tue 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Fri 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Tue 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 8, 1:36am
- First QuarterMon 15, 12:49pm
- Full MoonMon 22, 5:09am
- Last QuarterMon 29, 5:36pm
Apogee 3 Dec (405,600 km) · Perigee 19 Dec (364,600 km) · Apogee 31 Dec (405,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −0.8 | 5:15am | 12:36pm | 7:57pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.7 | 4:19am | 11:21am | 6:23pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.2 | 7:38am | 3:01pm | 10:24pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.7 | 2:08am | 8:16am | 2:24pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.8 | 2:14am | 8:21am | 2:27pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.7 | 4:19am | 11:26am | 6:32pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 5:55am | 1:12pm | 8:28pm | 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 41% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- Ursids — peaks 22 December, radiant in Ursa Minor (up to 10/hr). A circumpolar northern shower whose radiant never rises from Victoria. A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 1980
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.