The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2045
Highlights this month
- 3SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (5:02pm)
- 6WedSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:39am)
- 7ThuUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:50am)
- 11MonVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:54pm)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 15FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (9:20am)
- 21ThuSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Sun 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Wed 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Sun 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 1, 8:46pm
- New MoonFri 8, 10:41pm
- First QuarterSun 17, 12:15am
- Full MoonSun 24, 11:56am
- Last QuarterSun 31, 5:09am
Apogee 15 Dec (405,000 km) · Perigee 27 Dec (364,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.6 | 4:51am | 12:02pm | 7:14pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −4.5 | 7:46am | 3:05pm | 10:23pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.2 | 2:08am | 8:15am | 2:21pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.0 | 11:40am | 6:16pm | 12:54am | Evening |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.3 | 5:27am | 12:40pm | 7:54pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Leo | 5.4 | 12:35am | 6:00am | 11:25am | Morning |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.8 | 5:18pm | 10:33pm | 3:52am | 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 29% 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 bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2045
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.