The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1986
Highlights this month
- 9WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:51am)
- 10ThuMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Sagittarius (mag −2.6). (3:21pm)
- 11FriThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (5:11am)
- 13SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:59pm)
- 18FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (3:30am)
- 20SunThe Moon passes Mars — 0.9° apart. (10:43pm)
- 23WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:06pm)
- 25FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (4:51pm)
- 30WedSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 35% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30WedAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 35% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 32m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Thu 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Sun 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:54pm | 5:58am |
| Thu 31 | 7:22am | 5:30pm | 10h 08m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 35 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 7, 3:01pm
- First QuarterTue 15, 6:11am
- Full MoonMon 21, 8:37pm
- Last QuarterTue 29, 1:42am
Apogee 4 Jul (406,000 km) · Perigee 20 Jul (360,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 3.2 | 8:03am | 1:16pm | 6:29pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −4.0 | 9:48am | 3:15pm | 8:42pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | −2.6 | 4:19pm | 12:00am | 7:47am | All night |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.4 | 10:08pm | 4:26am | 10:41am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.2 | 1:50pm | 8:55pm | 4:04am | Evening |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.6 | 2:39pm | 10:00pm | 5:25am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.8 | 3:47pm | 11:04pm | 6:26am | 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 35% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 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 35% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — July 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 21 August 2026.