The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 1971
Highlights this month
- 10TueMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag −2.8). (4:37pm)
- 12ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:30am)
- 13FriNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:16am)
- 13FriPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 27FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:56am)
- 28SatVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:21am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
| Tue 10 | 7:13am | 5:38pm | 10h 26m | 7:08pm | 5:43am |
| Fri 20 | 7:00am | 5:47pm | 10h 47m | 7:16pm | 5:32am |
| Tue 31 | 6:45am | 5:56pm | 11h 12m | 7:24pm | 5:17am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSat 7, 5:46am
- Last QuarterFri 13, 8:53pm
- New MoonSat 21, 8:56am
- First QuarterSun 29, 12:57pm
Perigee 9 Aug (362,800 km) · Apogee 25 Aug (405,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Leo | 1.7 | 7:39am | 1:29pm | 7:19pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cnc | −3.8 | 7:03am | 12:13pm | 5:22pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | −2.8 | 4:49pm | 12:12am | 7:31am | All night |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.9 | 11:24am | 6:28pm | 1:36am | Evening |
| Saturn | Tau | 0.0 | 2:06am | 7:05am | 12:03pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.6 | 9:15am | 3:29pm | 9:43pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Lib | 7.9 | 11:38am | 6:41pm | 1:49am | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Perseids — peaks 13 August, radiant in Perseus (up to 100/hr). The famous northern shower, but its far-northern radiant scarcely rises from Victoria — only a trickle this far south. A 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — August 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.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 24 August 2026.