The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2062
Highlights this month
- 12TueMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (8:54pm)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16SatNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Taurus (mag 7.8). (2:10am)
- 20WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:30pm)
- 21ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.5° apart. (9:52pm)
- 22FriSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 58% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 24SunThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (11:46pm)
- 26TueJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:18pm)
- 30SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:31am)
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 | 3:56am |
| Sun 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 1, 10:02am
- First QuarterSat 9, 2:31pm
- Full MoonSat 16, 7:26pm
- Last QuarterSat 23, 10:39am
- New MoonSun 31, 3:57am
Apogee 6 Dec (405,500 km) · Perigee 18 Dec (360,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.4 | 7:17am | 2:44pm | 10:10pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 6:59am | 2:26pm | 9:52pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.4 | 2:31am | 8:50am | 3:09pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.9 | 12:58am | 6:33am | 12:07pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Gem | −0.5 | 9:53pm | 2:45am | 7:33am | Morning |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.7 | 3:55am | 10:54am | 5:54pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Tau | 7.8 | 8:27pm | 1:20am | 6:08am | 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 bright 94% 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 58% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2062
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 August 2026.