The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2077
Highlights this month
- 2ThuVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:25am)
- 9ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (3:58pm)
- 10FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:55am)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 19SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (2:46am)
- 21TueSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 23ThuVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:38am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Mon 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterTue 7, 6:26pm
- New MoonWed 15, 9:08pm
- First QuarterThu 23, 1:01am
- Full MoonWed 29, 9:46pm
Apogee 9 Dec (405,100 km) · Perigee 25 Dec (368,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.3 | 4:45am | 11:48am | 6:51pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.9 | 6:47am | 2:07pm | 9:26pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.3 | 2:16am | 8:28am | 2:39pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sco | −1.5 | 4:32am | 11:40am | 6:48pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 7:13am | 2:31pm | 9:50pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 7:59am | 3:16pm | 10:33pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cnc | 7.8 | 10:45pm | 3:45am | 8:41am | 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 1% 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 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2077
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 21 August 2026.