The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1971
Highlights this month
- 13TueMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:52am)
- 25SunThe Moon passes Mercury — 0.9° apart. (2:30am)
- 25SunJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:55am)
- 30FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (8:31am)
- 30FriSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 48% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30FriAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 48% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 32m | 6:44pm | 6:03am |
| Sat 10 | 7:36am | 5:14pm | 9h 39m | 6:48pm | 6:02am |
| Tue 20 | 7:31am | 5:21pm | 9h 50m | 6:54pm | 5:58am |
| Sat 31 | 7:23am | 5:30pm | 10h 07m | 7:01pm | 5:52am |
Days lengthen by about 35 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 1, 4:15am
- Full MoonThu 8, 8:42pm
- Last QuarterThu 15, 3:46pm
- New MoonThu 22, 7:15pm
- First QuarterFri 30, 9:09pm
Perigee 13 Jul (368,100 km) · Apogee 28 Jul (405,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | −0.2 | 8:55am | 2:01pm | 7:07pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −3.7 | 6:50am | 11:34am | 4:19pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | −2.3 | 7:26pm | 2:37am | 9:44am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Lib | −2.1 | 1:24pm | 8:28pm | 3:35am | Evening |
| Saturn | Tau | 0.1 | 3:56am | 8:56am | 1:56pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 11:15am | 5:27pm | 11:39pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Lib | 7.9 | 1:41pm | 8:44pm | 3:52am | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Southern Delta Aquariids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Aquarius (up to 25/hr). A favourite southern shower with a high radiant — steady rates through the small hours; overlaps the Alpha Capricornids. A 48% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- Alpha Capricornids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Capricornus (up to 5/hr). Low rates but noted for slow, bright fireballs; radiant well placed from the south. A 48% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — July 1971
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 24 August 2026.