The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2009
Highlights this month
- 2WedUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:28pm)
- 14MonGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 5% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 19SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (4:30am)
- 21MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (10:38pm)
- 22TueMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:22am)
- 22TueSummer solstice.
- 22TueUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 27% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 26SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:38pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Thu 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Sun 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Thu 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonWed 2, 6:38pm
- Last QuarterWed 9, 11:09am
- New MoonWed 16, 11:04pm
- First QuarterFri 25, 4:44am
Perigee 5 Dec (363,400 km) · Apogee 21 Dec (405,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.6 | 7:12am | 2:42pm | 10:11pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.8 | 5:26am | 12:46pm | 8:06pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | −0.4 | 12:14am | 5:17am | 10:21am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.9 | 10:37am | 5:27pm | 12:20am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.9 | 2:02am | 8:03am | 2:03pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 1:05pm | 7:18pm | 1:35am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 10:43am | 5:30pm | 12:21am | 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 thin 5% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- Ursids — peaks 22 December, radiant in Ursa Minor (up to 10/hr). A circumpolar northern shower whose radiant never rises from Victoria. A 27% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2009
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 July 2026.