The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2049
Highlights this month
- 9ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (10:31pm)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 18SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:17am)
- 21TueThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (11:40am)
- 21TueSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 8% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 26SunUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:22am)
- 27MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:54pm)
- 30ThuVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:18am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Mon 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 2, 10:37am
- Full MoonThu 9, 6:33pm
- Last QuarterFri 17, 10:15pm
- New MoonSat 25, 4:54am
- First QuarterFri 31, 7:51pm
Apogee 14 Dec (405,400 km) · Perigee 26 Dec (360,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.2 | 7:15am | 2:40pm | 10:04pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.8 | 5:38am | 12:59pm | 8:22pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 3:19am | 10:03am | 4:48pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.3 | 11:07pm | 4:08am | 9:04am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.5 | 8:20am | 3:34pm | 10:47pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Leo | 5.5 | 1:23am | 7:11am | 12:59pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Tau | 7.8 | 6:03pm | 11:10pm | 4:20am | 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 79% 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 thin 8% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2049
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.