The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1974
Highlights this month
- 1MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:57am)
- 2TueUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:43pm)
- 8MonJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:27pm)
- 12FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:41am)
- 17WedThe Moon passes Venus — 0.4° apart. (8:38pm)
- 22MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best morning apparition. (7:20pm)
- 30TueSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A bright 87% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 30TueAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A bright 87% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 32m | 6:44pm | 6:03am |
| Wed 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Sat 20 | 7:31am | 5:21pm | 9h 50m | 6:54pm | 5:58am |
| Wed 31 | 7:23am | 5:30pm | 10h 08m | 7:01pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 35 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonThu 4, 10:43pm
- Last QuarterSat 13, 1:30am
- New MoonFri 19, 10:06pm
- First QuarterFri 26, 1:49pm
Apogee 7 Jul (406,100 km) · Perigee 20 Jul (356,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | 1.4 | 6:12am | 11:10am | 4:08pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 5:29am | 10:18am | 3:06pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 1.8 | 9:16am | 2:29pm | 7:43pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.4 | 9:43pm | 4:08am | 10:29am | Morning |
| Saturn | Gem | −0.1 | 6:48am | 11:34am | 4:20pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 11:48am | 6:17pm | 12:51am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sco | 7.9 | 2:02pm | 9:11pm | 4:23am | 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 bright 87% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 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 bright 87% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — July 1974
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 23 August 2026.