The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1979
Highlights this month
- 4WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best evening apparition. (8:19am)
- 9MonMercury and Jupiter in conjunction — 2° apart. (3:29pm)
- 17TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:38am)
- 26ThuUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:48pm)
- 27FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (11:29pm)
- 30MonSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30MonAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 32m | 6:44pm | 6:03am |
| Tue 10 | 7:36am | 5:14pm | 9h 39m | 6:48pm | 6:02am |
| Fri 20 | 7:31am | 5:21pm | 9h 50m | 6:54pm | 5:58am |
| Tue 31 | 7:23am | 5:30pm | 10h 07m | 7:01pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 35 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 3, 1:24am
- Full MoonTue 10, 6:07am
- Last QuarterMon 16, 8:58pm
- New MoonTue 24, 11:39am
Perigee 11 Jul (360,800 km) · Apogee 27 Jul (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 1.3 | 8:38am | 1:54pm | 7:10pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −3.7 | 6:52am | 11:37am | 4:22pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Tau | 1.4 | 4:51am | 9:38am | 2:26pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −1.6 | 8:50am | 1:56pm | 7:01pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.8 | 10:09am | 3:41pm | 9:14pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.5 | 12:51pm | 7:48pm | 2:48am | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.8 | 2:44pm | 9:58pm | 5:17am | 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 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 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 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — July 1979
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.