The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1976
Highlights this month
- 11SunUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:01pm)
- 16FriMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:39am)
- 22ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.4° apart. (3:16am)
- 29ThuSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:41pm)
- 30FriThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (8:47am)
- 30FriSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A thin 13% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 30FriAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A thin 13% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Sat 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Tue 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Sat 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterMon 5, 3:31am
- Full MoonSun 11, 11:04pm
- Last QuarterMon 19, 4:30pm
- New MoonTue 27, 11:46am
Perigee 7 Jul (368,600 km) · Apogee 19 Jul (404,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | −2.1 | 7:38am | 12:24pm | 5:10pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cnc | −3.7 | 8:06am | 12:58pm | 5:50pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 1.7 | 9:48am | 3:16pm | 8:45pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Tau | −1.9 | 3:15am | 8:18am | 1:22pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Cnc | 0.1 | 8:19am | 1:16pm | 6:13pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.5 | 12:10pm | 6:50pm | 1:35am | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 2:16pm | 9:27pm | 4:42am | 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 thin 13% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 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 thin 13% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — July 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 23 August 2026.