The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1987
Highlights this month
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 5MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (6:54am)
- 6TueThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (12:19am)
- 13TueMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:53am)
- 16FriVenus at greatest morning elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (8:01am)
- 25SunVenus and Saturn in conjunction — 2° apart. (12:13pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Fri 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Fri 31 | 6:30am | 8:35pm | 14h 05m | 10:19pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 7, 9:36am
- Full MoonThu 15, 1:33pm
- Last QuarterFri 23, 9:51am
- New MoonFri 30, 12:45am
Apogee 13 Jan (406,200 km) · Perigee 28 Jan (358,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −1.2 | 6:14am | 1:37pm | 8:59pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −4.5 | 3:07am | 10:09am | 5:12pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | 0.8 | 12:03pm | 6:01pm | 11:58pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.0 | 10:50am | 5:08pm | 11:26pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.4 | 3:34am | 10:48am | 6:02pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.8 | 3:58am | 11:20am | 6:42pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 4:53am | 12:11pm | 7:28pm | 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 thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 1987
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 20 August 2026.