The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1981
Highlights this month
- 3FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:48pm)
- 8WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (9:03am)
- 8WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (11:09am)
- 14TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (21° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (11:26pm)
- 24FriJupiter and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (8:48am)
- 30ThuSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 30ThuAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 32m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Fri 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Mon 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:54pm | 5:58am |
| Fri 31 | 7:22am | 5:30pm | 10h 08m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 2, 5:06am
- First QuarterThu 9, 12:45pm
- Full MoonFri 17, 2:43pm
- Last QuarterFri 24, 7:46pm
- New MoonFri 31, 1:54pm
Apogee 12 Jul (405,200 km) · Perigee 27 Jul (367,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | 0.2 | 6:03am | 10:57am | 3:50pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −3.7 | 9:06am | 2:15pm | 7:23pm | Evening |
| Mars | Tau | 1.6 | 5:57am | 10:39am | 3:20pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.6 | 11:00am | 5:03pm | 11:06pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.9 | 11:07am | 5:07pm | 11:08pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.5 | 1:17pm | 8:23pm | 3:32am | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.8 | 2:59pm | 10:15pm | 5:35am | 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 1% 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 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — July 1981
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.