The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2173
Highlights this month
- 1WedThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (3:44am)
- 11SatSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:42am)
- 13MonVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:42pm)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 75% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22WedSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 92% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23ThuJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:15am)
- 27MonMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (4:19pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Fri 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 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 10 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 5, 3:07pm
- First QuarterSun 12, 8:29am
- Full MoonSun 19, 5:24pm
- Last QuarterMon 27, 9:53pm
Perigee 8 Dec (365,500 km) · Apogee 24 Dec (405,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.7 | 6:53am | 2:26pm | 9:58pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −4.6 | 4:16am | 11:13am | 6:09pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.5 | 2:41am | 9:06am | 3:32pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.7 | 6:19am | 1:40pm | 9:02pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.7 | 2:12pm | 8:12pm | 2:16am | Evening |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 11:58am | 6:28pm | 1:01am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 10:45am | 5:31pm | 12:21am | 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 75% 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 92% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2173
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 8 October 2026.