The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2011
Highlights this month
- 4SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:46pm)
- 11SunUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:48am)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 87% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 14WedMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:38pm)
- 22ThuSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 8% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 23FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (22° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (2:00pm)
- 26MonJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:34pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:51am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Sat 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Tue 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Sat 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 48m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 2, 8:53pm
- Full MoonSun 11, 1:37am
- Last QuarterSun 18, 11:55am
- New MoonSun 25, 5:08am
Apogee 6 Dec (405,600 km) · Perigee 22 Dec (364,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | 0.1 | 4:54am | 11:56am | 6:59pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 8:04am | 3:27pm | 10:49pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 0.5 | 1:19am | 6:55am | 12:32pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Ari | −2.5 | 4:12pm | 9:40pm | 3:13am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.6 | 3:02am | 9:31am | 3:59pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 1:46pm | 7:49pm | 1:56am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 11:07am | 5:49pm | 12:35am | 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 bright 87% 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 8% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2011
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.