The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2156
Highlights this month
- 3FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (1:17am)
- 7TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (2:59am)
- 7TueThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (5:18am)
- 9ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:42pm)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 18SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (2:53pm)
- 21TueSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 77% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 25SatUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:49am)
- 30ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (5:11am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Mon 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 5, 9:37am
- New MoonMon 13, 6:08am
- First QuarterMon 20, 4:21am
- Full MoonMon 27, 6:09am
Apogee 5 Dec (404,700 km) · Perigee 18 Dec (369,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.3 | 4:45am | 11:48am | 6:51pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.7 | 4:59am | 12:14pm | 7:28pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.3 | 2:20am | 8:33am | 2:46pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.2 | 11:38pm | 4:47am | 9:52am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.9 | 1:59am | 7:58am | 1:58pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 6:32am | 1:55pm | 9:18pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 7:47am | 3:01pm | 10:16pm | 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 bright 77% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2156
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 29 September 2026.