The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2004
Highlights this month
- 1ThuSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −0.6). (8:00am)
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 90% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 5MonJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:15am)
- 7WedMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:02am)
- 7WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (11:38am)
- 13TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (12:35am)
- 17SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (24° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best morning apparition. (8:16pm)
- 28WedThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (4:27pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Sat 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Tue 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Sat 31 | 6:30am | 8:35pm | 14h 05m | 10:19pm | 4:46am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonThu 8, 2:46am
- Last QuarterThu 15, 3:53pm
- New MoonThu 22, 8:02am
- First QuarterThu 29, 5:08pm
Apogee 4 Jan (405,800 km) · Perigee 20 Jan (362,600 km) · Apogee 31 Jan (405,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.2 | 4:31am | 11:47am | 7:03pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −3.8 | 9:12am | 3:57pm | 10:41pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 0.5 | 1:10pm | 6:49pm | 12:30am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.1 | 11:18pm | 5:06am | 10:50am | Morning |
| Saturn | Gem | −0.5 | 7:33pm | 12:24am | 5:10am | Evening |
| Uranus | Aqr | 6.0 | 9:16am | 3:56pm | 10:36pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 7:44am | 2:43pm | 9:41pm | 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 90% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2004
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.