The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — December 2190
Highlights this month
- 8WedJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Taurus (mag −2.7). (8:02am)
- 11SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (9:09pm)
- 14TueNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:01am)
- 14TueGeminids meteor shower peaks (up to 150/hr). A bright 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22WedSummer solstice.
- 22WedUrsids meteor shower peaks (up to 10/hr). A 27% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 23ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 0.6° apart. (5:18am)
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 | 5:49am | 8:35pm | 14h 46m | 10:30pm | 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
- First QuarterSat 4, 1:44pm
- Full MoonSun 12, 5:55am
- Last QuarterMon 20, 10:34am
- New MoonMon 27, 9:46am
Apogee 15 Dec (406,000 km) · Perigee 28 Dec (357,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −0.7 | 4:57am | 12:11pm | 7:26pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 7:41am | 3:06pm | 10:30pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 3:03am | 9:39am | 4:16pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.6 | 7:48pm | 12:41am | 5:30am | All night |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.4 | 4:17am | 11:14am | 6:12pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 5:37pm | 10:44pm | 3:55am | Evening |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.8 | 1:49pm | 7:53pm | 2:00am | 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 27% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — December 2190
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 20 October 2026.