The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2112
Highlights this month
- 5MonUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Taurus (mag 5.6). (7:52pm)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 15ThuMars and Saturn in conjunction — 1.0° apart. (12:10pm)
- 16FriVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (6:47am)
- 22ThuSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 11% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 23FriMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:51am)
- 23FriThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (7:46am)
- 24SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (11:13pm)
- 25SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (10:00am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Sat 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Tue 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Sat 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSun 4, 1:00am
- Last QuarterSun 11, 5:35pm
- New MoonMon 19, 3:19pm
- First QuarterMon 26, 2:26pm
Apogee 12 Dec (404,800 km) · Perigee 25 Dec (369,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −1.0 | 5:31am | 12:56pm | 8:22pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.4 | 9:29am | 4:38pm | 11:47pm | Evening |
| Mars | Aqr | 0.4 | 12:05pm | 6:34pm | 1:06am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.5 | 3:51am | 10:46am | 5:40pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.9 | 12:04pm | 6:36pm | 1:11am | Evening |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.6 | 7:41pm | 12:32am | 5:19am | All night |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 2:27am | 8:44am | 3:01pm | 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 23% 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 thin 11% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2112
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 6 September 2026.