The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 1998
Highlights this month
- 15WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.9° apart. (5:18am)
- 17FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (1:16pm)
- 17FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (4:14pm)
- 19SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:57am)
- 24FriNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag 7.8). (5:52am)
- 26SunThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (12:30am)
- 30ThuSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30ThuAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:01pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 32m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Fri 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Mon 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:54pm | 5:58am |
| Fri 31 | 7:22am | 5:30pm | 10h 08m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 2, 4:49am
- Full MoonFri 10, 2:07am
- Last QuarterFri 17, 1:14am
- New MoonThu 23, 11:43pm
- First QuarterFri 31, 10:09pm
Apogee 3 Jul (404,800 km) · Perigee 17 Jul (369,900 km) · Apogee 30 Jul (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Leo | 0.3 | 9:00am | 2:15pm | 7:29pm | Evening |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 5:37am | 10:25am | 3:13pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | 1.6 | 6:34am | 11:15am | 3:56pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.4 | 10:33pm | 4:45am | 10:53am | Morning |
| Saturn | Ari | 0.4 | 1:25am | 6:55am | 12:25pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.7 | 6:42pm | 1:47am | 8:49am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 5:52pm | 1:03am | 8:10am | 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 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 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 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — July 1998
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 16 August 2026.