The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2096
Highlights this month
- 2SunMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:37am)
- 3MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (12:45am)
- 7FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (8:04am)
- 10MonThe Moon passes Mars — 0.8° apart. (10:33pm)
- 12WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:50am)
- 12WedNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:56pm)
- 14FriGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 14FriUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:10pm)
- 19WedThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (1:16pm)
- 20ThuVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (1:56am)
- 21FriSummer solstice.
- 22SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:09am)
- 22SatUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 29SatSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:46am)
- 30SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (6:55am)
- 31MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (23° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best morning apparition. (6:19pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 38m | 10:21pm | 3:58am |
| Mon 10 | 5:50am | 8:36pm | 14h 46m | 10:32pm | 3:54am |
| Thu 20 | 5:53am | 8:43pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Mon 31 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 7, 3:04am
- New MoonSat 15, 7:11am
- First QuarterSun 23, 3:45am
- Full MoonSat 29, 7:23pm
Apogee 13 Dec (406,200 km) · Perigee 28 Dec (358,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | 3.4 | 5:34am | 12:43pm | 7:51pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.4 | 9:30am | 4:38pm | 11:46pm | Evening |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 3:12am | 9:54am | 4:36pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.5 | 10:09pm | 3:00am | 7:47am | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.8 | 1:20am | 7:02am | 12:44pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 2:05pm | 8:02pm | 2:03am | Evening |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.9 | 12:56am | 6:32am | 12:08pm | 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 0% 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 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2096
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 31 August 2026.