The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 1997
Highlights this month
- 1WedThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (12:33pm)
- 2ThuMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:16pm)
- 4SatQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 13MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:13am)
- 14TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (2:19pm)
- 17FriNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:33pm)
- 20MonJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:15am)
- 24FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best morning apparition. (3:46pm)
- 25SatUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:52am)
- 29WedThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (7:56am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Thu 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Sun 20 | 6:19am | 8:43pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Thu 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 2, 12:46pm
- New MoonThu 9, 3:32pm
- First QuarterThu 16, 7:00am
- Full MoonFri 24, 2:10am
Perigee 10 Jan (359,300 km) · Apogee 26 Jan (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 0.1 | 4:44am | 11:56am | 7:08pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 4:45am | 12:08pm | 7:30pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 0.2 | 12:01am | 5:59am | 11:57am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.8 | 6:32am | 1:44pm | 8:56pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.9 | 11:47am | 5:52pm | 12:02am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 6:59am | 2:08pm | 9:16pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 6:29am | 1:39pm | 8:49pm | 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 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 1997
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.