The Moon this Month – December 2021

(All times are in Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

New Moon:                    06:00 pm December 4^th

First Quarter:                 Noon December 11^th

Full Moon:                      03:00 pm December 19^th

Last quarter:                  Noon December 27^th

At 8pm on December 4, the Moon will be at Perigee, the closest it gets to the Earth each month. This month will be a mere 356,794 km away. On the 18^th at noon, the Moon will be at apogee, its furthest point from Earth this Month at 406,320 km.

Co-incident with the New Moon there is a solar eclipse this month on 4 December, but its path is so far out there that we won’t be able to see it. People in the far southeast of Australia such as Tasmania will get a glimpse of a partial eclipse, but only barely and it will be difficult to see, and you will need to be using correct protective eclipse glasses or appropriate filters to see the small bite taken out of the Sun. It is never safe to look directly at the Sun.