The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2065
Highlights this month
- 8TueSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:11pm)
- 14MonGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 98% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 18FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (4:45pm)
- 21MonSummer solstice.
- 22TueNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 7.8). (10:09am)
- 22TueUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 33% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 25FriVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:59am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Thu 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Sun 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Thu 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 5, 3:52am
- Full MoonSun 13, 6:52am
- Last QuarterMon 21, 4:20am
- New MoonSun 27, 7:30pm
Apogee 11 Dec (406,200 km) · Perigee 26 Dec (358,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −0.6 | 4:58am | 12:13pm | 7:28pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.8 | 5:42am | 1:05pm | 8:28pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Aqr | 0.3 | 12:25pm | 6:48pm | 1:14am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.5 | 4:21am | 11:26am | 6:31pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.3 | 12:26am | 5:44am | 11:03am | Morning |
| Uranus | Sco | 5.7 | 4:35am | 11:46am | 6:57pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 8:57pm | 1:48am | 6:36am | 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 98% 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 33% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2065
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 16 August 2026.