The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2078
Highlights this month
- 2FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (12:29am)
- 8ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (2:13am)
- 9FriThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (7:20pm)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 71% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 18SunJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:54am)
- 21WedSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Sat 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Tue 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Sat 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 4, 11:13pm
- First QuarterMon 12, 7:01pm
- Full MoonMon 19, 10:34am
- Last QuarterMon 26, 12:16pm
Apogee 3 Dec (406,200 km) · Perigee 18 Dec (359,000 km) · Apogee 30 Dec (405,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.6 | 4:53am | 12:06pm | 7:19pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 7:04am | 2:31pm | 9:57pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 0.9 | 10:00am | 4:59pm | 11:58pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Oph | −1.7 | 6:04am | 1:25pm | 8:46pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.5 | 8:00am | 3:15pm | 10:31pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 8:19am | 3:34pm | 10:48pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cnc | 7.8 | 10:54pm | 3:55am | 8:52am | 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 71% 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 bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2078
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 22 August 2026.