The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1996
Highlights this month
- 3WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (3:34am)
- 4ThuQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 9TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:21pm)
- 16TueNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:55pm)
- 19FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:33am)
- 21SunUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:20pm)
- 24WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (12:15pm)
- 30TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:52pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
| Tue 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Fri 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:32pm | 4:29am |
| Tue 31 | 6:30am | 8:35pm | 14h 05m | 10:19pm | 4:46am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSat 6, 7:54am
- Last QuarterSun 14, 7:50am
- New MoonSat 20, 11:50pm
- First QuarterSat 27, 10:17pm
Apogee 5 Jan (406,300 km) · Perigee 20 Jan (357,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | 3.0 | 7:03am | 2:01pm | 8:59pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −3.8 | 9:09am | 3:55pm | 10:39pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 1.2 | 7:06am | 2:16pm | 9:25pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.6 | 4:35am | 11:56am | 7:18pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Aqr | 1.1 | 10:52am | 5:12pm | 11:32pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 6:43am | 1:54pm | 9:05pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 6:22am | 1:33pm | 8:44pm | 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 bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 1996
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 17 August 2026.