The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1990
Highlights this month
- 3WedNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:51am)
- 4ThuQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 48% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 7SunSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:58am)
- 9TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:57pm)
- 10WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (12:01pm)
- 19FriVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:51am)
- 20SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:45pm)
- 24WedThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (2:45am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Tue 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Fri 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Tue 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 4, 9:43pm
- Full MoonThu 11, 3:59pm
- Last QuarterFri 19, 8:20am
- New MoonSat 27, 6:20am
Perigee 8 Jan (367,000 km) · Apogee 20 Jan (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 1.8 | 5:26am | 12:32pm | 7:39pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.7 | 7:01am | 1:50pm | 8:39pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Oph | 1.5 | 3:36am | 10:58am | 6:20pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.5 | 7:13pm | 12:00am | 4:43am | Evening |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 5:41am | 12:57pm | 8:14pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 4:49am | 12:12pm | 7:34pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 5:21am | 12:37pm | 7:53pm | 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 48% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 1990
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 19 August 2026.