The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2002
Highlights this month
- 1TueJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −2.6). (4:26pm)
- 4FriQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 71% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 12SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (10:36am)
- 14MonVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:01pm)
- 18FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:09pm)
- 19SatThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (1:55pm)
- 25FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.1° apart. (2:36am)
- 27SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.9° apart. (5:53am)
- 28MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:49am)
- 29TueNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:35am)
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 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Thu 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 6, 2:55pm
- New MoonMon 14, 12:35am
- First QuarterTue 22, 4:49am
- Full MoonTue 29, 9:52am
Perigee 2 Jan (365,500 km) · Apogee 18 Jan (405,500 km) · Perigee 30 Jan (360,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −0.3 | 7:47am | 2:45pm | 9:42pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.8 | 6:12am | 1:30pm | 8:48pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 0.9 | 11:25am | 5:32pm | 11:39pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.5 | 7:35pm | 12:23am | 5:07am | Evening |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.3 | 5:14pm | 10:09pm | 3:09am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 6.0 | 8:36am | 3:25pm | 10:14pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cap | 8.0 | 7:21am | 2:24pm | 9:26pm | 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 71% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2002
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.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.