The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2076
Highlights this month
- 6SunMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:59pm)
- 14MonGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:56am)
- 21MonSummer solstice.
- 22TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (7:23am)
- 22TueUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 17% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 23WedSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:45pm)
- 26SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:08pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 38m | 10:21pm | 3:58am |
| Thu 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Sun 20 | 5:53am | 8:43pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Thu 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 3, 8:14pm
- Full MoonThu 10, 10:40pm
- Last QuarterFri 18, 11:41pm
- New MoonSat 26, 11:55am
Perigee 2 Dec (369,300 km) · Apogee 17 Dec (405,000 km) · Perigee 29 Dec (364,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | 6.4 | 6:10am | 1:25pm | 8:38pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −3.7 | 4:40am | 11:50am | 7:00pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.2 | 8:32am | 3:48pm | 11:03pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.5 | 3:19am | 10:02am | 4:45pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.3 | 6:28am | 1:47pm | 9:06pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 7:39am | 2:58pm | 10:17pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 10:36pm | 3:34am | 8:29am | 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 86% 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 thin 17% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2076
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 21 August 2026.