The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2124
Highlights this month
- 3SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (5:52am)
- 11MonSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:32pm)
- 14ThuGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 22FriSummer solstice.
- 22FriUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29FriThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (2:54am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Sun 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Wed 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Sun 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 6, 9:39am
- First QuarterThu 14, 1:58pm
- Full MoonThu 21, 6:50pm
- Last QuarterThu 28, 9:29am
Apogee 11 Dec (405,500 km) · Perigee 23 Dec (360,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.6 | 4:52am | 12:03pm | 7:16pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −3.7 | 4:51am | 12:03pm | 7:16pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.2 | 2:12am | 8:20am | 2:28pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.5 | 4:01am | 10:59am | 5:57pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.3 | 12:33am | 5:54am | 11:16am | Morning |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.4 | 11:26pm | 4:31am | 9:31am | Morning |
| Neptune | Lib | 8.0 | 3:35am | 10:21am | 5:06pm | 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 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- Ursids — peaks 22 December, radiant in Ursa Minor (up to 10/hr). A circumpolar northern shower whose radiant never rises from Victoria. A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2124
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 10 September 2026.