The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2163
Highlights this month
- 3SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:34pm)
- 11SunSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:46am)
- 12MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (12:21am)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 89% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 19MonMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:31am)
- 22ThuSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A thin 16% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 31SatVenus and Jupiter in conjunction — 1° apart. (9:19pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 36m | 10:19pm | 3:58am |
| Sat 10 | 5:49am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:55am |
| Tue 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:38pm | 3:55am |
| Sat 31 | 5:58am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:02am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 3, 6:07am
- Full MoonSun 11, 3:23am
- Last QuarterMon 19, 6:38am
- New MoonMon 26, 1:43am
Apogee 12 Dec (406,200 km) · Perigee 26 Dec (356,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.5 | 4:44am | 11:49am | 6:55pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.9 | 8:51am | 4:08pm | 11:24pm | Evening |
| Mars | Ari | −1.3 | 5:32pm | 10:35pm | 3:42am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.9 | 10:16am | 5:10pm | 12:08am | Evening |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.3 | 5:43am | 12:58pm | 8:13pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 8:46am | 3:57pm | 11:08pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 9:01am | 4:06pm | 11:12pm | 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 bright 89% 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 thin 16% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — December 2163
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 3 October 2026.