The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2069
Highlights this month
- 4WedVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:01pm)
- 5ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best evening apparition. (6:52am)
- 8SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (5:45pm)
- 11WedUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:45am)
- 13FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:26pm)
- 14SatGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 20FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (7:21pm)
- 21SatSummer solstice.
- 22SunUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 60% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:35am)
- 25WedVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:28pm)
- 26ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (2:37am)
- 31TueNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 7.8). (4:11am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Tue 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Fri 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Tue 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 5, 11:01pm
- New MoonSat 14, 4:43am
- First QuarterSat 21, 8:06pm
- Full MoonSat 28, 11:48am
Apogee 10 Dec (406,000 km) · Perigee 26 Dec (361,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 0.7 | 7:01am | 2:23pm | 9:44pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −4.1 | 7:03am | 2:23pm | 9:42pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Tau | −1.6 | 7:02pm | 11:46pm | 4:35am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.1 | 12:25pm | 6:49pm | 1:17am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.7 | 2:35am | 8:53am | 3:10pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.8 | 5:36am | 12:57pm | 8:18pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 9:36pm | 2:28am | 7:16am | Morning |
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 thin 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- Ursids — peaks 22 December, radiant in Ursa Minor (up to 10/hr). A circumpolar northern shower whose radiant never rises from Victoria. A bright 60% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2069
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 18 August 2026.