The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 1986
Highlights this month
- 3SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:56am)
- 7ThuSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:38pm)
- 9SatThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (11:37pm)
- 12TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.0) — best morning apparition. (1:50am)
- 12TueMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:13pm)
- 13WedPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 17SunThe Moon passes Mars — 0.5° apart. (2:23am)
- 21ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (10:30pm)
- 27WedVenus at greatest evening elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (8:04pm)
- 28ThuUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:39am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 10m | 7:02pm | 5:50am |
| Sun 10 | 7:12am | 5:39pm | 10h 27m | 7:09pm | 5:42am |
| Wed 20 | 7:00am | 5:47pm | 10h 48m | 7:16pm | 5:31am |
| Sun 31 | 6:44am | 5:57pm | 11h 12m | 7:25pm | 5:17am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 6, 4:40am
- First QuarterWed 13, 12:21pm
- Full MoonWed 20, 4:53am
- Last QuarterWed 27, 6:46pm
Apogee 1 Aug (405,400 km) · Perigee 17 Aug (366,100 km) · Apogee 29 Aug (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | −0.5 | 6:10am | 11:10am | 4:11pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.2 | 8:59am | 3:14pm | 9:29pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | −2.0 | 1:54pm | 9:38pm | 5:25am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.6 | 7:57pm | 2:18am | 8:36am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.3 | 11:47am | 6:52pm | 2:01am | Evening |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.6 | 12:35pm | 7:55pm | 3:20am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 1:42pm | 9:00pm | 4:21am | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Perseids — peaks 13 August, radiant in Perseus (up to 100/hr). The famous northern shower, but its far-northern radiant scarcely rises from Victoria — only a trickle this far south. A 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — August 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.