The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2103
Highlights this month
- 3MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (7:43pm)
- 7FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:20am)
- 12WedMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:23am)
- 14FriGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:49pm)
- 22SatUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 44% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 23SunSummer solstice.
- 26WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (22° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (1:12am)
- 29SatNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:26pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:51am | 8:26pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Mon 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Thu 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:38pm | 3:55am |
| Mon 31 | 5:58am | 8:46pm | 14h 48m | 10:42pm | 4:02am |
Days lengthen by about 12 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 7, 6:03am
- Full MoonFri 14, 3:40am
- Last QuarterSat 22, 12:34am
- New MoonSat 29, 6:15pm
Perigee 8 Dec (369,600 km) · Apogee 21 Dec (404,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | 0.6 | 5:03am | 12:07pm | 7:10pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.9 | 3:55am | 10:46am | 5:38pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | −0.7 | 11:42pm | 4:38am | 9:30am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.8 | 8:38am | 3:51pm | 11:03pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.4 | 5:01am | 12:09pm | 7:17pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 4:32pm | 9:54pm | 3:20am | Evening |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 1:42am | 7:36am | 1:29pm | 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 100% 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 44% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2103
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 3 September 2026.