The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2160
Highlights this month
- 1MonVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (8:28pm)
- 14SunGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 21SunSummer solstice.
- 22MonUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 24WedThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (4:59am)
- 24WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (5:22am)
- 24WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (6:34pm)
- 28SunMars and Saturn in conjunction — 2° apart. (3:42am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Wed 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Sat 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Wed 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 6, 8:55am
- Full MoonSat 13, 12:00am
- Last QuarterSat 20, 5:53pm
- New MoonSun 28, 2:04am
Apogee 5 Dec (404,800 km) · Perigee 17 Dec (366,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.6 | 7:01am | 2:32pm | 10:04pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.6 | 9:26am | 4:35pm | 11:43pm | Evening |
| Mars | Lib | 1.7 | 3:30am | 10:19am | 5:09pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sco | −1.5 | 4:33am | 11:41am | 6:48pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.5 | 3:57am | 10:48am | 5:40pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 7:46am | 3:04pm | 10:23pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 8:27am | 3:37pm | 10:47pm | 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 99% 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 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2160
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 2 October 2026.