The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2051
Highlights this month
- 5TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:02pm)
- 14ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (5:01am)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22FriSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 76% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 25MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (2:43pm)
- 30SatThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (5:55am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Sun 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Wed 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Sun 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 3, 8:41pm
- First QuarterMon 11, 11:12am
- Full MoonMon 18, 3:03am
- Last QuarterMon 25, 10:22am
Perigee 16 Dec (362,000 km) · Apogee 28 Dec (405,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.5 | 4:43am | 11:47am | 6:52pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.8 | 8:18am | 3:39pm | 11:00pm | Evening |
| Mars | Lib | 1.7 | 3:58am | 10:57am | 5:58pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.7 | 1:59am | 8:03am | 2:06pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Cap | 0.6 | 10:05am | 5:02pm | 12:03am | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 1:48am | 7:48am | 1:47pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Tau | 7.8 | 6:28pm | 11:30pm | 4:37am | 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 84% 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 bright 76% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2051
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.