The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1978
Highlights this month
- 1SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:45am)
- 4WedQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 11WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (23° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best morning apparition. (7:41pm)
- 21SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (5:43pm)
- 22SunMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag −1.3). (11:22am)
- 22SunVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:40pm)
- 26ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (8:00pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Mon 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Thu 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Mon 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterMon 2, 11:12pm
- New MoonMon 9, 3:00pm
- First QuarterMon 16, 2:06pm
- Full MoonTue 24, 6:56pm
Perigee 8 Jan (357,600 km) · Apogee 21 Jan (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.3 | 4:30am | 11:49am | 7:09pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.8 | 6:03am | 1:22pm | 8:41pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | −1.3 | 9:29pm | 2:17am | 7:00am | All night |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.5 | 6:50pm | 11:33pm | 4:21am | Evening |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.2 | 10:29pm | 3:53am | 9:13am | Morning |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.6 | 1:43am | 8:38am | 3:33pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 3:34am | 10:49am | 6:03pm | 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 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 1978
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.