The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 2004
Highlights this month
- 6FriNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag 7.8). (12:56pm)
- 9MonMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:06pm)
- 13FriPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 18WedVenus at greatest morning elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.3) — best morning apparition. (3:46am)
- 18WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (5:32pm)
- 24TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:47am)
- 28SatUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag 5.8). (4:24am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:21am | 5:32pm | 10h 11m | 7:03pm | 5:50am |
| Tue 10 | 7:11am | 5:39pm | 10h 28m | 7:09pm | 5:42am |
| Fri 20 | 6:59am | 5:48pm | 10h 49m | 7:17pm | 5:30am |
| Tue 31 | 6:43am | 5:57pm | 11h 14m | 7:25pm | 5:16am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSun 1, 4:03am
- Last QuarterSun 8, 8:09am
- New MoonMon 16, 11:29am
- First QuarterMon 23, 8:12pm
- Full MoonMon 30, 12:22pm
Apogee 11 Aug (405,500 km) · Perigee 27 Aug (365,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Leo | 2.4 | 7:27am | 1:15pm | 7:02pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −4.3 | 4:17am | 9:14am | 2:11pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 1.8 | 7:40am | 1:06pm | 6:32pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.5 | 8:26am | 2:14pm | 8:02pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Gem | 0.1 | 5:28am | 10:18am | 3:08pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 6:37pm | 1:16am | 7:51am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 4:51pm | 11:48pm | 6:48am | 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 thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — August 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.