The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2176
Highlights this month
- 5ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:59pm)
- 5ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (10:56pm)
- 13FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (10:52pm)
- 14SatGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 19ThuMars and Jupiter in conjunction — 0.7° apart. (12:51am)
- 21SatSummer solstice.
- 22SunUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 58% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 14h 37m | 10:20pm | 3:58am |
| Tue 10 | 5:50am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:31pm | 3:54am |
| Fri 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:39pm | 3:56am |
| Tue 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 1, 6:46pm
- First QuarterMon 9, 10:25pm
- Full Moon SupermoonMon 16, 4:08pm
- Last QuarterMon 23, 11:08am
- New MoonTue 31, 2:24pm
Apogee 3 Dec (406,200 km) · Perigee 16 Dec (356,700 km) · Apogee 30 Dec (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.5 | 4:43am | 11:47am | 6:53pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.6 | 9:23am | 4:32pm | 11:41pm | Evening |
| Mars | Psc | 0.1 | 1:00pm | 7:14pm | 1:31am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.2 | 1:09pm | 7:22pm | 1:39am | Evening |
| Saturn | Ari | −0.2 | 5:32pm | 10:46pm | 4:04am | Evening |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 12:55pm | 7:10pm | 1:29am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 11:16am | 5:55pm | 12:38am | 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 94% 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 58% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2176
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 9 October 2026.