The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1980
Highlights this month
- 4FriQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 7MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.2° apart. (3:08pm)
- 8TueThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (1:18am)
- 8TueSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:22am)
- 9WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.2° apart. (1:32am)
- 17ThuMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:35pm)
- 21MonMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:00pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
| Wed 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Sat 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:32pm | 4:29am |
| Wed 31 | 6:30am | 8:36pm | 14h 05m | 10:19pm | 4:46am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonWed 2, 8:03pm
- Last QuarterThu 10, 10:54pm
- New MoonFri 18, 8:24am
- First QuarterFri 25, 12:55am
Apogee 8 Jan (405,100 km) · Perigee 20 Jan (363,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −1.0 | 5:48am | 1:13pm | 8:38pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −3.8 | 9:04am | 3:51pm | 10:37pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | −0.3 | 11:21pm | 4:58am | 10:31am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.2 | 10:56pm | 4:33am | 10:06am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.8 | 11:43pm | 5:39am | 11:30am | Morning |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.6 | 2:11am | 9:15am | 4:19pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 3:53am | 11:08am | 6:24pm | 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 bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 1980
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.