The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1986
Highlights this month
- 4SatQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 6MonThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (10:27am)
- 7TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (10:44pm)
- 20MonVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:30am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Thu 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Sun 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Thu 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSat 4, 6:53am
- New MoonFri 10, 11:19pm
- First QuarterSat 18, 9:18am
- Full MoonSun 26, 11:36am
Perigee 8 Jan (363,200 km) · Apogee 20 Jan (405,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.7 | 5:18am | 12:45pm | 8:11pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.8 | 6:06am | 1:25pm | 8:44pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Lib | 1.3 | 1:54am | 8:51am | 3:48pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.8 | 8:27am | 3:19pm | 10:10pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.4 | 2:56am | 10:03am | 5:11pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.8 | 3:40am | 11:01am | 6:22pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 4:43am | 12:01pm | 7:18pm | 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 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 1986
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.