The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2086
Highlights this month
- 14SatGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 57% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 16MonMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:44am)
- 21SatSummer solstice.
- 22SunUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 95% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 27FriSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:45am)
- 27FriMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −1.6). (1:11pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Tue 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Fri 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Tue 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 6, 4:49pm
- First QuarterSat 14, 1:26am
- Full MoonFri 20, 7:21pm
- Last QuarterSat 28, 8:57am
Apogee 1 Dec (405,400 km) · Perigee 17 Dec (365,900 km) · Apogee 29 Dec (404,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −1.1 | 5:45am | 1:13pm | 8:42pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 7:07am | 2:34pm | 10:00pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | −1.5 | 9:55pm | 2:32am | 7:03am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.9 | 1:19am | 7:03am | 12:47pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.3 | 3:31pm | 9:12pm | 2:57am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 10:54am | 5:39pm | 12:28am | Evening |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.8 | 11:52pm | 5:08am | 10:21am | 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 57% 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 95% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2086
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.