The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1985
Highlights this month
- 4FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (23° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best morning apparition. (1:03am)
- 4FriQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 91% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 15TueJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:10am)
- 16WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (5:42pm)
- 22TueVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (1:17pm)
- 25FriThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (3:47pm)
- 25FriThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (6:45pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Wed 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Sat 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Wed 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonMon 7, 1:21pm
- Last QuarterMon 14, 10:31am
- New MoonMon 21, 1:29pm
- First QuarterTue 29, 2:29pm
Perigee 12 Jan (369,400 km) · Apogee 27 Jan (405,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.3 | 4:38am | 12:01pm | 7:24pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.3 | 10:08am | 4:35pm | 11:02pm | Evening |
| Mars | Aqr | 1.1 | 10:28am | 4:51pm | 11:13pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.8 | 6:14am | 1:29pm | 8:43pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.4 | 2:20am | 9:19am | 4:18pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.7 | 3:23am | 10:42am | 6:01pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 4:33am | 11:51am | 7:08pm | Hidden |
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 91% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 1985
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 21 August 2026.