The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2140
Highlights this month
- 6TueNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:02pm)
- 13TueThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (7:38pm)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 20% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 21WedSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (8:35am)
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
- Last QuarterThu 1, 6:33pm
- New MoonFri 9, 10:23pm
- First QuarterSat 17, 6:25pm
- Full MoonSat 24, 9:25am
- Last QuarterSat 31, 12:06pm
Apogee 7 Dec (406,200 km) · Perigee 23 Dec (359,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.7 | 6:49am | 2:21pm | 9:53pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.7 | 4:55am | 12:08pm | 7:22pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 1.1 | 9:10am | 4:19pm | 11:29pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.1 | 12:02pm | 6:32pm | 1:06am | Evening |
| Saturn | Cap | 0.7 | 10:44am | 5:33pm | 12:26am | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.6 | 2:45am | 9:15am | 3:46pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 5:24am | 12:37pm | 7:50pm | 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 thin 20% 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 bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2140
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 15 September 2026.