The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 2005
Highlights this month
- 6SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:34am)
- 8MonThe Moon passes Venus — 1° apart. (3:08pm)
- 9TueNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag 7.8). (2:07am)
- 10WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (4:56pm)
- 13SatPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 15MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:36pm)
- 24WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best morning apparition. (9:14am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:21am | 5:32pm | 10h 10m | 7:03pm | 5:50am |
| Wed 10 | 7:12am | 5:39pm | 10h 27m | 7:09pm | 5:42am |
| Sat 20 | 6:59am | 5:48pm | 10h 49m | 7:16pm | 5:31am |
| Wed 31 | 6:44am | 5:57pm | 11h 13m | 7:25pm | 5:16am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 5, 1:05pm
- First QuarterSat 13, 12:41pm
- Full Moon SupermoonSat 20, 3:58am
- Last QuarterSat 27, 1:21am
Apogee 5 Aug (406,300 km) · Perigee 19 Aug (357,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 2.0 | 6:14am | 11:27am | 4:40pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.8 | 8:41am | 2:38pm | 8:36pm | Evening |
| Mars | Ari | −0.7 | 11:53pm | 5:19am | 10:43am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.6 | 9:26am | 3:44pm | 10:02pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Cnc | 0.1 | 6:13am | 11:10am | 4:08pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 6:59pm | 1:33am | 8:02am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 5:03pm | 11:58pm | 6:56am | 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 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — August 2005
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.