The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 1999
Highlights this month
- 3FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (11:37am)
- 13MonThe Moon passes Mars — 0.5° apart. (5:27am)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 32% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 18SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (7:19pm)
- 19SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (9:42pm)
- 21TueJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:11pm)
- 22WedSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:51am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Thu 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Sun 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Thu 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 48m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 8, 9:31am
- First QuarterThu 16, 11:58am
- Full Moon SupermoonThu 23, 4:37am
- Last QuarterThu 30, 1:02am
Apogee 8 Dec (406,300 km) · Perigee 22 Dec (356,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.6 | 4:51am | 12:02pm | 7:14pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −4.0 | 3:39am | 10:23am | 5:08pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 1.0 | 9:54am | 4:56pm | 11:57pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.4 | 3:45pm | 9:20pm | 2:59am | Evening |
| Saturn | Ari | −0.1 | 5:01pm | 10:22pm | 3:48am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 9:54am | 4:53pm | 11:51pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 8:59am | 4:05pm | 11:12pm | Evening |
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 32% 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 1999
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 15 August 2026.