The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2031
Highlights this month
- 10WedMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:49am)
- 12FriSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Taurus (mag −0.6). (5:52am)
- 14SunGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 17WedUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Taurus (mag 5.5). (8:37pm)
- 18ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (9:13pm)
- 22MonSummer solstice.
- 22MonUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 63% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 25ThuNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:16am)
- 27SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 1° apart. (3:51pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:51am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Wed 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 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
- Last QuarterSun 7, 2:21pm
- New MoonSun 14, 8:08pm
- First QuarterSun 21, 10:58am
- Full MoonMon 29, 4:38am
Apogee 4 Dec (405,500 km) · Perigee 16 Dec (360,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.3 | 4:45am | 11:47am | 6:50pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −4.0 | 3:43am | 10:30am | 5:17pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 0.9 | 10:15am | 5:12pm | 12:10am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.7 | 6:52am | 2:14pm | 9:35pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.6 | 8:07pm | 1:02am | 5:52am | All night |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.5 | 8:41pm | 1:27am | 6:10am | All night |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.8 | 2:44pm | 8:34pm | 2:29am | 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 0% 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 63% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2031
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.