The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2056
Highlights this month
- 2SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best evening apparition. (8:08am)
- 2SatNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Taurus (mag 7.8). (8:56am)
- 10SunThe Moon passes Venus — 0.4° apart. (6:03pm)
- 11MonMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:06am)
- 11MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (2:18am)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 54% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 16SatVenus and Jupiter in conjunction — 1° apart. (5:01am)
- 16SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (5:07am)
- 16SatMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:33am)
- 19TueSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:33am)
- 20WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:05pm)
- 21ThuSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 26TueThe Moon passes Mars — 0.8° apart. (12:32am)
- 31SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:12am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 38m | 10:21pm | 3:58am |
| Sun 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Wed 20 | 5:53am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Sun 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 7, 9:37am
- First QuarterThu 14, 7:53am
- Full MoonFri 22, 12:34pm
- Last QuarterSat 30, 5:31am
Perigee 6 Dec (357,300 km) · Apogee 19 Dec (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 1.9 | 6:45am | 2:04pm | 9:23pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.3 | 9:26am | 4:35pm | 11:44pm | Evening |
| Mars | Cnc | −0.5 | 11:53pm | 4:55am | 9:53am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.8 | 9:33am | 4:35pm | 11:38pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.5 | 2:53pm | 8:43pm | 2:37am | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 2:41am | 9:10am | 3:39pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Tau | 7.8 | 7:21pm | 12:19am | 5:13am | All night |
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 54% 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 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2056
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.