The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2088
Highlights this month
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 17FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (5:18pm)
- 21TueSummer solstice.
- 22WedVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (11:28am)
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 61% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 24FriMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:15am)
- 25SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.1° apart. (10:07am)
- 25SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:51am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 38m | 10:21pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:32pm | 3:54am |
| Mon 20 | 5:53am | 8:43pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 5, 3:56pm
- New MoonMon 13, 11:57am
- First QuarterTue 21, 3:56pm
- Full Moon SupermoonTue 28, 12:00pm
Apogee 15 Dec (406,200 km) · Perigee 28 Dec (356,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.5 | 7:15am | 2:44pm | 10:12pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.4 | 9:30am | 4:38pm | 11:46pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | −0.3 | 12:18am | 5:24am | 10:31am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.5 | 3:28am | 10:15am | 5:03pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Ari | −0.3 | 5:48pm | 10:59pm | 4:13am | Evening |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 11:31am | 6:07pm | 12:46am | Evening |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.8 | 12:08am | 5:24am | 10:41am | 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 thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- Ursids — peaks 22 December, radiant in Ursa Minor (up to 10/hr). A circumpolar northern shower whose radiant never rises from Victoria. A bright 61% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2088
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 28 August 2026.