The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2012
Highlights this month
- 3MonJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Taurus (mag −2.7). (12:33pm)
- 5WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (9:42am)
- 14FriUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:55am)
- 14FriGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 21FriSummer solstice.
- 22SatUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 69% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 26WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.4° apart. (11:18am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Mon 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Thu 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Mon 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 7, 2:40am
- New MoonThu 13, 7:42pm
- First QuarterThu 20, 4:16pm
- Full MoonFri 28, 9:26pm
Perigee 13 Dec (357,000 km) · Apogee 26 Dec (406,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.6 | 4:48am | 11:58am | 7:09pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.7 | 4:25am | 11:30am | 6:35pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.2 | 7:56am | 3:17pm | 10:37pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.6 | 7:22pm | 12:18am | 5:10am | All night |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.5 | 3:29am | 10:10am | 4:50pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 2:02pm | 8:00pm | 2:02am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 11:14am | 5:54pm | 12:38am | 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 1% 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 bright 69% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2012
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.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.