The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 1988
Highlights this month
- 1ThuMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:07pm)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 28% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 18SunThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (12:19am)
- 22ThuSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23FriUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:48am)
- 26MonSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:37pm)
- 31SatNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:28pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Mon 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 1, 5:52pm
- New MoonFri 9, 4:41pm
- First QuarterFri 16, 4:40pm
- Full MoonFri 23, 4:28pm
- Last QuarterSat 31, 4:00pm
Apogee 2 Dec (404,800 km) · Perigee 16 Dec (369,900 km) · Apogee 30 Dec (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.9 | 6:16am | 1:48pm | 9:21pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.7 | 4:20am | 11:23am | 6:26pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | −0.5 | 2:41pm | 8:28pm | 2:17am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.6 | 6:27pm | 11:27pm | 4:31am | Evening |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 6:40am | 1:59pm | 9:19pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 6:24am | 1:47pm | 9:10pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 7:07am | 2:24pm | 9:41pm | 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 28% 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 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 1988
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 20 August 2026.