The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2153
Highlights this month
- 5WedSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:12pm)
- 12WedUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:58pm)
- 14FriGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 15SatJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:57am)
- 22SatSummer solstice.
- 22SatUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 24MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (9:16pm)
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 | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSat 1, 2:43pm
- Last QuarterSun 9, 8:50am
- New MoonSun 16, 12:26am
- First QuarterSun 23, 3:53am
- Full MoonMon 31, 9:00am
Perigee 14 Dec (359,800 km) · Apogee 26 Dec (405,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.7 | 6:41am | 2:14pm | 9:46pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.8 | 6:08am | 1:33pm | 8:58pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 7:19am | 2:43pm | 10:07pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.4 | 3:15pm | 8:57pm | 2:42am | Evening |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.2 | 12:16am | 5:31am | 10:46am | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.8 | 5:42am | 1:03pm | 8:24pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 7:19am | 2:35pm | 9:52pm | 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 3% 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 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2153
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 26 September 2026.