The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2162
Highlights this month
- 10FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:33am)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A 58% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 19SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:21pm)
- 22WedSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (22° from the Sun, mag −0.4) — best morning apparition. (6:16am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:19pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:30pm | 3:54am |
| Mon 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:55am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 6, 11:23pm
- First QuarterMon 13, 10:27pm
- Full MoonWed 22, 4:05am
- Last QuarterWed 29, 6:36pm
Perigee 6 Dec (357,900 km) · Apogee 18 Dec (405,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | 1.8 | 5:19am | 12:25pm | 7:31pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.2 | 3:29am | 10:09am | 4:49pm | Morning |
| Mars | Lib | 1.7 | 4:10am | 11:14am | 6:19pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.7 | 7:59am | 3:16pm | 10:33pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.4 | 5:05am | 12:14pm | 7:23pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 8:26am | 3:40pm | 10:53pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 8:49am | 3:57pm | 11:04pm | Evening |
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 58% 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 2162
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 3 October 2026.