The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 2000
Highlights this month
- 2SunMars in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:15am)
- 6ThuMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:29pm)
- 17MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:51pm)
- 26WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (8:36pm)
- 27ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (6:57am)
- 27ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best morning apparition. (7:12pm)
- 28FriNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag 7.8). (8:11am)
- 30SunSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 30SunAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Mon 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 40m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Thu 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Mon 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 2, 5:24am
- First QuarterSat 8, 10:51pm
- Full MoonSun 16, 11:58pm
- Last QuarterMon 24, 9:10pm
- New MoonMon 31, 12:26pm
Perigee 2 Jul (356,700 km) · Apogee 15 Jul (406,200 km) · Perigee 30 Jul (357,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | 3.0 | 6:30am | 11:32am | 4:33pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cnc | −3.7 | 8:12am | 1:06pm | 6:00pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | 1.7 | 7:25am | 12:10pm | 4:54pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Tau | −1.9 | 3:55am | 8:52am | 1:48pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | 0.1 | 3:28am | 8:32am | 1:36pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.7 | 7:22pm | 2:19am | 9:11am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 6:12pm | 1:20am | 8:24am | Morning |
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 thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 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 thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — July 2000
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 15 August 2026.