The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2143
Highlights this month
- 3TueThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (2:18pm)
- 4WedSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:40am)
- 8SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:17am)
- 13FriNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:04pm)
- 14SatGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 50% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 16MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (4:02pm)
- 22SunSummer solstice.
- 22SunUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (4:52pm)
- 23MonJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −2.6). (1:35pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:59am |
| Tue 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Fri 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:38pm | 3:55am |
| Tue 31 | 5:58am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:02am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 7, 1:02am
- First QuarterSat 14, 5:15pm
- Full MoonSun 22, 3:21pm
- Last QuarterSun 29, 1:34pm
Perigee 3 Dec (367,500 km) · Apogee 15 Dec (404,800 km) · Perigee 28 Dec (369,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.4 | 4:44am | 11:47am | 6:50pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.8 | 4:02am | 10:56am | 5:51pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 3:10am | 9:48am | 4:27pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.6 | 9:08pm | 1:57am | 6:41am | All night |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.9 | 1:38pm | 7:48pm | 2:01am | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.6 | 3:23am | 10:09am | 4:55pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 5:51am | 1:07pm | 8:22pm | 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 50% 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 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2143
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 16 September 2026.