The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2168
Highlights this month
- 3SatThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (10:56pm)
- 4SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:41pm)
- 4SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (11:41pm)
- 9FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:27am)
- 14WedGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 15ThuVenus and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (9:14pm)
- 18SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:29pm)
- 19MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (12:33am)
- 21WedSummer solstice.
- 22ThuUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 42% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 29ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:13am)
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 | 3:56am |
| Sat 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 8, 6:01am
- Full MoonThu 15, 8:51am
- Last QuarterThu 22, 12:03am
- New MoonThu 29, 7:23pm
Apogee 4 Dec (405,700 km) · Perigee 16 Dec (359,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 3.5 | 6:30am | 1:48pm | 9:04pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.6 | 9:24am | 4:34pm | 11:42pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 6:51am | 2:17pm | 9:43pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.2 | 11:52pm | 5:05am | 10:15am | Morning |
| Saturn | Cap | 0.6 | 9:28am | 4:31pm | 11:35pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 10:21am | 5:13pm | 12:09am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 9:51am | 4:47pm | 11:44pm | 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 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 42% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2168
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 6 October 2026.