The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2184
Highlights this month
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 85% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 21TueSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A bright 74% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (5:19am)
- 24FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (1:25am)
- 26SunSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:04pm)
- 30ThuMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:05am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:50am | 8:28pm | 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 | 3:56am |
| Fri 31 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 9 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 3, 2:07pm
- First QuarterSat 11, 8:50am
- Full MoonFri 17, 11:36pm
- Last QuarterSat 25, 3:57am
Apogee 1 Dec (406,100 km) · Perigee 16 Dec (359,900 km) · Apogee 28 Dec (405,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −0.8 | 5:17am | 12:39pm | 8:01pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.7 | 9:20am | 4:30pm | 11:39pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | 0.3 | 1:05am | 6:35am | 12:06pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Oph | −1.6 | 4:56am | 12:09pm | 7:21pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.7 | 1:13am | 6:52am | 12:31pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 3:31pm | 9:06pm | 2:46am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 12:42pm | 7:01pm | 1:24am | 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 85% 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 74% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — December 2184
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 13 October 2026.