The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 2003
Highlights this month
- 4MonNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag 7.8). (11:44pm)
- 13WedPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A bright 98% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 14ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (1:53am)
- 15FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best evening apparition. (6:53am)
- 19TueVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:35am)
- 22FriJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:11pm)
- 24SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (12:21am)
- 24SunUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag 5.8). (7:44pm)
- 28ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:14am)
- 29FriMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag −2.9). (3:48am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
| Sun 10 | 7:12am | 5:39pm | 10h 26m | 7:09pm | 5:42am |
| Wed 20 | 7:00am | 5:47pm | 10h 47m | 7:16pm | 5:31am |
| Sun 31 | 6:45am | 5:57pm | 11h 12m | 7:25pm | 5:17am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 5, 5:29pm
- Full MoonTue 12, 2:44pm
- Last QuarterWed 20, 10:51am
- New MoonThu 28, 3:34am
Perigee 6 Aug (369,700 km) · Apogee 20 Aug (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Leo | 0.3 | 8:10am | 2:05pm | 8:00pm | Evening |
| Venus | Leo | −3.8 | 7:10am | 12:22pm | 5:34pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Aqr | −2.7 | 6:46pm | 1:40am | 8:29am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.6 | 7:27am | 12:47pm | 6:07pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Gem | 0.0 | 4:40am | 9:27am | 2:14pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 6:20pm | 1:03am | 7:43am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 4:42pm | 11:41pm | 6:44am | All night |
Meteor showers
- Perseids — peaks 13 August, radiant in Perseus (up to 100/hr). The famous northern shower, but its far-northern radiant scarcely rises from Victoria — only a trickle this far south. A bright 98% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — August 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.