The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2106
Highlights this month
- 8WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (11:47am)
- 11SatMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:30am)
- 12SunVenus at greatest morning elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (4:04am)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 85% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 21TueThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (4:33pm)
- 22WedSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 9% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 31FriSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:22pm)
- 31FriJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:29pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:51am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Mon 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:38pm | 3:55am |
| Fri 31 | 5:58am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:02am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 4, 6:03am
- Full MoonSat 11, 10:05am
- Last QuarterSat 18, 12:40am
- New MoonSat 25, 7:59pm
Perigee 12 Dec (359,600 km) · Apogee 28 Dec (406,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −1.1 | 5:54am | 1:24pm | 8:54pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.4 | 3:27am | 10:04am | 4:43pm | Morning |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 7:31am | 2:55pm | 10:18pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Ari | −2.5 | 4:37pm | 10:00pm | 3:27am | Evening |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 6:58am | 2:17pm | 9:36pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 5:34pm | 10:42pm | 3:55am | Evening |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 1:57am | 7:59am | 2:00pm | 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 85% 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 thin 9% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2106
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 4 September 2026.