The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2108
Highlights this month
- 6ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (3:28pm)
- 8SatMars and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (8:44am)
- 14FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (2:22am)
- 14FriGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 20ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (8:18pm)
- 22SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:11am)
- 22SatSummer solstice.
- 22SatUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 31MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:19pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Mon 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Thu 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Mon 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 3, 8:22am
- First QuarterMon 10, 6:29pm
- Full MoonTue 18, 8:39pm
- Last QuarterWed 26, 12:35am
Apogee 12 Dec (405,100 km) · Perigee 28 Dec (368,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.4 | 7:17am | 2:45pm | 10:12pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −3.7 | 4:47am | 11:58am | 7:10pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 1.1 | 8:51am | 4:04pm | 11:17pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.4 | 10:32pm | 3:26am | 8:16am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.5 | 8:30am | 3:42pm | 10:55pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.7 | 6:15pm | 11:15pm | 4:19am | Evening |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 2:06am | 8:12am | 2:19pm | 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 84% 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 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2108
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 5 September 2026.