The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2089
Highlights this month
- 9FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:26pm)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (5:02pm)
- 17SatVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:04am)
- 19MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:23am)
- 21WedSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 73% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:40am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 38m | 10:21pm | 3:58am |
| Sat 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Tue 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Sat 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 2, 2:13pm
- First QuarterSat 10, 3:53pm
- Full MoonSun 18, 2:45am
- Last QuarterSat 24, 6:56pm
Apogee 8 Dec (405,100 km) · Perigee 20 Dec (363,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 3.1 | 6:33am | 1:51pm | 9:08pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.9 | 5:50am | 1:13pm | 8:37pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 6:46am | 2:13pm | 9:39pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Sco | −1.6 | 4:44am | 11:54am | 7:05pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.5 | 7:02pm | 12:00am | 5:02am | All night |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 11:51am | 6:22pm | 12:57am | Evening |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.9 | 12:15am | 5:34am | 10:53am | 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 86% 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 bright 73% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2089
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 29 August 2026.