The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2097
Highlights this month
- 5ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:10pm)
- 8SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:35pm)
- 12ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (7:46am)
- 14SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (10:31am)
- 14SatGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 72% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 14SatVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:17pm)
- 15SunNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:53am)
- 18WedUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:09pm)
- 21SatSummer solstice.
- 22SunUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 85% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (1:42am)
- 25WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.3° apart. (8:28pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 38m | 10:21pm | 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 | 4:04am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 4, 6:33am
- First QuarterThu 12, 11:23am
- Full Moon SupermoonThu 19, 11:09am
- Last QuarterThu 26, 2:20am
Apogee 7 Dec (406,000 km) · Perigee 20 Dec (357,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.5 | 4:42am | 11:47am | 6:52pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.9 | 5:52am | 1:16pm | 8:40pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Aqr | 0.2 | 12:52pm | 7:08pm | 1:26am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.1 | 12:09am | 5:23am | 10:37am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.9 | 1:52am | 7:49am | 1:46pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 2:26pm | 8:17pm | 2:13am | Evening |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.9 | 1:03am | 6:41am | 12:19pm | 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 72% 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 85% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2097
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.