The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2016
Highlights this month
- 5MonThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (8:21pm)
- 10SatSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:28pm)
- 11SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (3:27pm)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 19MonMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:48pm)
- 21WedSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 39% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 23FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (5:15am)
- 29ThuMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:43am)
- 30FriUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:53am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Sat 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Tue 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Sat 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 7, 8:07pm
- Full MoonWed 14, 11:07am
- Last QuarterWed 21, 12:59pm
- New MoonThu 29, 5:54pm
Perigee 13 Dec (358,800 km) · Apogee 25 Dec (405,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.3 | 7:17am | 2:43pm | 10:08pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.2 | 9:19am | 4:30pm | 11:40pm | Evening |
| Mars | Cap | 0.8 | 10:53am | 5:40pm | 12:29am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.6 | 2:34am | 8:56am | 3:18pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.3 | 5:42am | 12:57pm | 8:13pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 3:21pm | 8:59pm | 2:41am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 11:58am | 6:28pm | 1:02am | 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 100% 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 39% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2016
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.