The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2014
Highlights this month
- 8MonMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:39pm)
- 9TueJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:23pm)
- 12FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (11:52am)
- 14SunGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 53% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 22MonSummer solstice.
- 22MonUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 22MonUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:58pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:51am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:59am |
| Wed 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Sat 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Wed 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSat 6, 11:28pm
- Last QuarterSun 14, 11:50pm
- New MoonMon 22, 12:42pm
- First QuarterMon 29, 5:32am
Apogee 13 Dec (404,900 km) · Perigee 25 Dec (364,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −1.0 | 6:00am | 1:31pm | 9:02pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 6:43am | 2:09pm | 9:36pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 1.1 | 9:19am | 4:27pm | 11:35pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.1 | 12:13am | 5:27am | 10:41am | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.4 | 4:33am | 11:34am | 6:36pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 2:43pm | 8:31pm | 2:23am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 11:38am | 6:13pm | 12:52am | 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 53% 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 thin 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2014
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.