The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1971
Highlights this month
- 4MonQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 5TueVenus and Jupiter in conjunction — 3° apart. (2:06pm)
- 8FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:43pm)
- 18MonSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:16pm)
- 18MonUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:12pm)
- 19TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (24° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best morning apparition. (1:55pm)
- 21ThuVenus at greatest morning elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (3:30am)
- 26TueMars and Jupiter in conjunction — 0.3° apart. (11:03am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 4:59am | 7:46pm | 14h 47m | 9:42pm | 3:04am |
| Sun 10 | 5:07am | 7:46pm | 14h 39m | 9:39pm | 3:14am |
| Wed 20 | 5:18am | 7:43pm | 14h 25m | 9:32pm | 3:29am |
| Sun 31 | 5:30am | 7:35pm | 14h 05m | 9:19pm | 3:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterMon 4, 2:52pm
- Full MoonMon 11, 11:21pm
- Last QuarterWed 20, 4:12am
- New MoonWed 27, 8:57am
Perigee 1 Jan (365,600 km) · Apogee 16 Jan (405,500 km) · Perigee 28 Jan (360,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.1 | 3:33am | 10:47am | 6:03pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −4.5 | 2:08am | 9:10am | 4:12pm | Morning |
| Mars | Lib | 1.4 | 1:13am | 8:16am | 3:19pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.6 | 1:31am | 8:37am | 3:44pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Ari | −0.0 | 2:23pm | 7:39pm | 12:58am | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 11:16pm | 5:36am | 11:53am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sco | 8.0 | 1:42am | 8:47am | 3:53pm | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Quadrantids — peaks 4 January, radiant in Boötes (up to 110/hr). Radiant stays below the horizon from Victoria — essentially a no-show this far south. A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 1971
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 24 August 2026.