The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2083
Highlights this month
- 10FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:25am)
- 12SunThe Moon passes Venus — 1° apart. (4:00am)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 20MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:40am)
- 22WedSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (22° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best morning apparition. (6:36pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:55am |
| Mon 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 2, 11:13pm
- New MoonThu 9, 5:32pm
- First QuarterThu 16, 12:12pm
- Full MoonFri 24, 2:52pm
Perigee 9 Dec (356,700 km) · Apogee 23 Dec (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | 2.0 | 5:22am | 12:28pm | 7:34pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.8 | 8:28am | 3:48pm | 11:07pm | Evening |
| Mars | Lib | 1.7 | 4:06am | 11:10am | 6:14pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.6 | 6:55pm | 11:50pm | 4:50am | Evening |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.9 | 12:27pm | 6:53pm | 1:23am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 9:57am | 4:55pm | 11:52pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Cnc | 7.8 | 11:33pm | 4:43am | 9:49am | 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 31% 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 bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2083
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.