The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2073
Highlights this month
- 12TueMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:26pm)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 18MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.6° apart. (10:28pm)
- 20WedThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (12:27pm)
- 21ThuSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 22FriVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:55pm)
- 28ThuUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:05am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Sun 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| 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 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 6, 8:39pm
- Full MoonFri 15, 12:51am
- Last QuarterFri 22, 11:10am
- New MoonFri 29, 3:59am
Apogee 10 Dec (405,500 km) · Perigee 26 Dec (365,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −1.1 | 5:52am | 1:22pm | 8:52pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.8 | 5:45am | 1:08pm | 8:31pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 0.1 | 12:47am | 6:07am | 11:27am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.2 | 11:38pm | 4:47am | 9:52am | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.4 | 4:36am | 11:40am | 6:43pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 6:45am | 2:08pm | 9:30pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 10:12pm | 3:07am | 7:57am | 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 bright 100% 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 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2073
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 20 August 2026.