The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 1992
Highlights this month
- 1TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:28pm)
- 10ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (12:55am)
- 14MonGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 78% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22TueVenus and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (11:32am)
- 22TueSummer solstice.
- 22TueUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Wed 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Sat 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Wed 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 2, 5:22pm
- Full MoonThu 10, 10:43am
- Last QuarterThu 17, 6:12am
- New MoonThu 24, 11:48am
Apogee 2 Dec (404,700 km) · Perigee 14 Dec (367,800 km) · Apogee 30 Dec (405,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.5 | 4:44am | 11:51am | 6:58pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.1 | 9:13am | 4:26pm | 11:37pm | Evening |
| Mars | Gem | −1.1 | 10:55pm | 3:39am | 8:19am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.7 | 2:17am | 8:29am | 2:42pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Cap | 0.6 | 9:54am | 4:53pm | 11:52pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 7:37am | 2:56pm | 10:16pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 7:45am | 3:00pm | 10:15pm | 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 78% 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 thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 1992
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 18 August 2026.