The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2084
Highlights this month
- 3SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:44am)
- 9SatThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (11:27am)
- 11MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (11:53am)
- 14ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.1° apart. (9:52am)
- 14ThuMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:28am)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 21ThuSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 31SunJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −2.6). (6:43pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 38m | 10:21pm | 3:58am |
| Sun 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:32pm | 3:54am |
| Wed 20 | 5:53am | 8:43pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Sun 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 5, 12:53am
- Full MoonTue 12, 2:22pm
- Last QuarterWed 20, 7:51pm
- New MoonWed 27, 8:11pm
Apogee 16 Dec (405,900 km) · Perigee 28 Dec (358,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.5 | 4:43am | 11:49am | 6:56pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −3.7 | 4:42am | 11:52am | 7:03pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Ari | −1.2 | 5:08pm | 10:16pm | 3:27am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.5 | 9:49pm | 2:38am | 7:23am | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 1.0 | 1:23pm | 7:35pm | 1:50am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 10:14am | 5:07pm | 12:04am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cnc | 7.8 | 11:37pm | 4:49am | 9:57am | 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 96% 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 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2084
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 27 August 2026.