The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2003
Highlights this month
- 2ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:25pm)
- 4SatQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 11SatVenus at greatest morning elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (11:43am)
- 12SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:56am)
- 16ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (6:05am)
- 20MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (3:21am)
- 23ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:42am)
- 28TueThe Moon passes Mars — 0.4° apart. (2:08am)
- 29WedThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (4:40am)
- 31FriNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:34am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Fri 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Fri 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 05m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 3, 7:25am
- First QuarterSat 11, 12:15am
- Full MoonSat 18, 9:52pm
- Last QuarterSat 25, 7:38pm
Apogee 11 Jan (404,700 km) · Perigee 24 Jan (369,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 3.6 | 5:52am | 12:55pm | 7:59pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −4.4 | 3:06am | 10:09am | 5:13pm | Morning |
| Mars | Lib | 1.4 | 2:23am | 9:30am | 4:37pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.4 | 9:47pm | 2:58am | 8:04am | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.4 | 6:25pm | 11:13pm | 4:06am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cap | 6.0 | 8:56am | 3:41pm | 10:25pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 7:33am | 2:33pm | 9:33pm | 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 thin 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2003
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.