The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1976
Highlights this month
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 8% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 7WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (4:38pm)
- 9FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (7:54pm)
- 14WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:15am)
- 20TueSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag −0.5). (9:38pm)
- 21WedMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:30am)
- 23FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:30pm)
- 28WedThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (6:47pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
| Fri 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 26m | 10:32pm | 4:28am |
| Fri 31 | 6:30am | 8:36pm | 14h 06m | 10:19pm | 4:46am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 2, 1:41am
- First QuarterFri 9, 11:39pm
- Full MoonSat 17, 3:52pm
- Last QuarterSat 24, 10:07am
- New MoonSat 31, 5:21pm
Apogee 9 Jan (404,800 km) · Perigee 21 Jan (367,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | 0.6 | 7:33am | 2:30pm | 9:27pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.9 | 3:33am | 10:47am | 6:01pm | Morning |
| Mars | Tau | −0.9 | 6:03pm | 10:37pm | 3:14am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.1 | 1:04pm | 6:48pm | 12:37am | Evening |
| Saturn | Cnc | −0.4 | 8:58pm | 1:56am | 6:50am | All night |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 1:20am | 8:04am | 2:49pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 3:20am | 10:33am | 5:45pm | 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 thin 8% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 1976
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 23 August 2026.