The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2006
Highlights this month
- 4WedQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 9MonThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (5:58am)
- 14SatVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:00am)
- 16MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (2:28am)
- 24TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (4:20am)
- 27FriMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:19am)
- 28SatSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag −0.4). (9:40am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Tue 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Fri 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Tue 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 7, 5:56am
- Full MoonSat 14, 8:48pm
- Last QuarterMon 23, 2:18am
- New MoonMon 30, 1:19am
Perigee 2 Jan (361,800 km) · Apogee 18 Jan (405,900 km) · Perigee 30 Jan (357,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.8 | 5:32am | 12:58pm | 8:24pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.6 | 6:25am | 1:18pm | 8:10pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Ari | −0.2 | 3:28pm | 8:31pm | 1:37am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.7 | 1:44am | 8:36am | 3:28pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Cnc | −0.3 | 9:25pm | 2:30am | 7:31am | All night |
| Uranus | Aqr | 6.0 | 9:52am | 4:23pm | 10:54pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 8:03am | 2:58pm | 9:52pm | 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 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2006
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.