The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 1979
Highlights this month
- 1WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:21am)
- 10FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:20pm)
- 13MonPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A bright 66% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 13MonJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:18pm)
- 19SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.1) — best morning apparition. (2:18pm)
- 25SatVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:02pm)
- 30ThuNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:14pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
| Fri 10 | 7:12am | 5:39pm | 10h 26m | 7:08pm | 5:43am |
| Mon 20 | 7:00am | 5:47pm | 10h 47m | 7:16pm | 5:32am |
| Fri 31 | 6:45am | 5:57pm | 11h 12m | 7:24pm | 5:17am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 1, 4:01pm
- Full Moon SupermoonWed 8, 1:27pm
- Last QuarterWed 15, 4:59am
- New MoonThu 23, 3:11am
- First QuarterFri 31, 4:15am
Perigee 9 Aug (357,400 km) · Apogee 23 Aug (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 0.6 | 6:06am | 11:12am | 4:18pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −3.8 | 7:05am | 12:15pm | 5:25pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | 1.4 | 4:25am | 9:07am | 1:49pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.6 | 7:08am | 12:20pm | 5:33pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.9 | 8:15am | 1:52pm | 7:29pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.6 | 10:50am | 5:46pm | 12:47am | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 12:40pm | 7:54pm | 3:13am | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Perseids — peaks 13 August, radiant in Perseus (up to 100/hr). The famous northern shower, but its far-northern radiant scarcely rises from Victoria — only a trickle this far south. A bright 66% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — August 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.