The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2122
Highlights this month
- 7MonVenus at greatest morning elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (8:59am)
- 8TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:43pm)
- 14MonGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (6:26pm)
- 18FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:43pm)
- 22TueSummer solstice.
- 22TueUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 35% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 28MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:10pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Thu 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Sun 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:38pm | 3:55am |
| Thu 31 | 5:58am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterMon 7, 9:40am
- Full MoonMon 14, 12:38am
- Last QuarterMon 21, 4:05am
- New MoonTue 29, 9:10am
Perigee 12 Dec (359,700 km) · Apogee 24 Dec (405,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 3.7 | 6:28am | 1:46pm | 9:02pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.3 | 3:27am | 10:05am | 4:44pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 0.7 | 1:34am | 7:18am | 1:03pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.7 | 1:50am | 7:49am | 1:48pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Cnc | −0.2 | 11:02pm | 4:02am | 8:57am | Morning |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.5 | 10:57pm | 3:54am | 8:46am | Morning |
| Neptune | Vir | 8.0 | 3:25am | 10:06am | 4:47pm | 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 99% 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 35% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2122
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 10 September 2026.