The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2136
Highlights this month
- 4TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:41pm)
- 9SunVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (1:47am)
- 14FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:27am)
- 14FriGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 73% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22SatSummer solstice.
- 22SatUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 23SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (22° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (7:30am)
- 27ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (1:36am)
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
- Full MoonSun 9, 1:05am
- Last QuarterMon 17, 1:21am
- New MoonSun 23, 5:38pm
- First QuarterSun 30, 3:33pm
Apogee 8 Dec (406,300 km) · Perigee 23 Dec (357,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | 0.1 | 4:54am | 11:56am | 6:59pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.5 | 9:29am | 4:38pm | 11:46pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 6:36am | 2:02pm | 9:28pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.5 | 4:11am | 11:12am | 6:14pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 7:22am | 2:40pm | 9:58pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 2:00am | 8:07am | 2:15pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Sco | 8.0 | 4:54am | 12:02pm | 7:10pm | Hidden |
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 73% 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 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2136
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 14 September 2026.
