The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2187
Highlights this month
- 3MonThe Moon passes Venus — 0.9° apart. (9:31pm)
- 3MonThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (10:52pm)
- 6ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (9:05pm)
- 7FriNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:39pm)
- 12WedVenus and Mars in conjunction — 0.9° apart. (10:45pm)
- 13ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best evening apparition. (2:55pm)
- 14FriGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 21FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:21pm)
- 22SatSummer solstice.
- 22SatUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 31MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:17am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:50am | 8:27pm | 14h 37m | 10:19pm | 3:58am |
| Mon 10 | 5:49am | 8:35pm | 14h 45m | 10:30pm | 3:54am |
| Thu 20 | 5:52am | 8:42pm | 14h 50m | 10:38pm | 3:55am |
| Mon 31 | 5:58am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:03am |
Days lengthen by about 11 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 8, 9:40am
- Full MoonSun 16, 5:53am
- Last QuarterSun 23, 3:31am
- New MoonSun 30, 6:12am
Apogee 8 Dec (404,700 km) · Perigee 21 Dec (369,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.4 | 7:17am | 2:45pm | 10:12pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.0 | 8:58am | 4:14pm | 11:28pm | Evening |
| Mars | Cap | 1.1 | 8:56am | 4:08pm | 11:20pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.0 | 10:57am | 5:42pm | 12:31am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.7 | 2:48am | 9:10am | 3:32pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 4:35pm | 9:56pm | 3:21am | Evening |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 1:18pm | 7:29pm | 1:44am | 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 97% 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 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2187
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 15 October 2026.