The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2082
Highlights this month
- 8TueMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best evening apparition. (5:30am)
- 14MonGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 36% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 16WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:44pm)
- 18FriVenus at greatest morning elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (8:55am)
- 20SunJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:32pm)
- 21MonSummer solstice.
- 22TueUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 9% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (9:59pm)
- 26SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:07am)
- 27SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (3:57pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Thu 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Sun 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Thu 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSat 5, 7:59pm
- Last QuarterSun 13, 10:56am
- New MoonSun 20, 2:13am
- First QuarterSun 27, 10:44am
Apogee 2 Dec (405,900 km) · Perigee 18 Dec (362,100 km) · Apogee 30 Dec (405,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 0.1 | 7:11am | 2:35pm | 9:59pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.5 | 3:26am | 10:04am | 4:43pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | −0.2 | 1:47pm | 7:48pm | 1:52am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.4 | 3:41pm | 9:16pm | 2:56am | Evening |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.8 | 11:29am | 6:08pm | 12:51am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 9:37am | 4:38pm | 11:40pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Cnc | 7.8 | 11:25pm | 4:32am | 9:36am | 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 36% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- Ursids — peaks 22 December, radiant in Ursa Minor (up to 10/hr). A circumpolar northern shower whose radiant never rises from Victoria. A thin 9% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2082
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 26 August 2026.