The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1996
Highlights this month
- 2TueVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:00am)
- 4ThuJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Sagittarius (mag −2.6). (9:16pm)
- 7SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (1:55pm)
- 11ThuMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:48pm)
- 12FriThe Moon passes Venus — 0.4° apart. (6:39pm)
- 13SatThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (9:30am)
- 19FriNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Sagittarius (mag 7.8). (3:35am)
- 20SatSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:00am)
- 25ThuUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag 5.7). (4:27pm)
- 30TueSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 30TueAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Wed 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Sat 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Wed 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full Moon SupermoonMon 1, 2:03pm
- Last QuarterMon 8, 4:58am
- New MoonTue 16, 2:15am
- First QuarterWed 24, 3:50am
- Full Moon SupermoonTue 30, 8:40pm
Perigee 2 Jul (357,800 km) · Apogee 17 Jul (406,200 km) · Perigee 30 Jul (356,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | −1.7 | 7:58am | 12:46pm | 5:35pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −4.6 | 4:39am | 9:43am | 2:47pm | Morning |
| Mars | Tau | 1.5 | 5:32am | 10:15am | 2:58pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.5 | 4:14pm | 11:34pm | 6:59am | Evening |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.7 | 11:15pm | 5:19am | 11:18am | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.7 | 5:58pm | 1:11am | 8:20am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.8 | 5:28pm | 12:42am | 7:53am | All night |
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 bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 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 bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — July 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 16 August 2026.