The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2157
Highlights this month
- 1ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (1:27pm)
- 6TueThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (11:19pm)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 18SunVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:27pm)
- 22ThuSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 63% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29ThuUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:13pm)
- 31SatJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:19am)
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 | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 2, 11:16am
- First QuarterSat 10, 12:42am
- Full MoonFri 16, 4:15pm
- Last QuarterSat 24, 2:19am
Perigee 14 Dec (363,200 km) · Apogee 26 Dec (405,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.6 | 4:54am | 12:07pm | 7:21pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −4.4 | 4:33am | 11:34am | 6:35pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 0.9 | 10:05am | 5:04pm | 12:03am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.9 | 1:09am | 6:48am | 12:28pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.8 | 2:29am | 8:43am | 2:57pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 6:51am | 2:14pm | 9:36pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 7:58am | 3:11pm | 10:25pm | 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 94% 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 bright 63% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2157
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 30 September 2026.