The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 2008
Highlights this month
- 2WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (22° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (3:49am)
- 7MonThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (2:01am)
- 7MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (5:35am)
- 9WedJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Sagittarius (mag −2.6). (5:11pm)
- 11FriMars and Saturn in conjunction — 0.6° apart. (3:37am)
- 17ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (11:24pm)
- 30WedMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:53am)
- 30WedSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 30WedAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Thu 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 40m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Sun 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 52m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Thu 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 3, 12:21pm
- First QuarterThu 10, 2:40pm
- Full MoonFri 18, 6:01pm
- Last QuarterSat 26, 4:47am
Perigee 2 Jul (359,100 km) · Apogee 14 Jul (405,700 km) · Perigee 30 Jul (363,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | −0.9 | 6:31am | 11:17am | 4:04pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cnc | −3.7 | 8:15am | 1:09pm | 6:03pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 1.7 | 9:54am | 3:27pm | 8:59pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.6 | 4:38pm | 11:57pm | 7:20am | All night |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.7 | 9:52am | 3:19pm | 8:47pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 10:04pm | 4:22am | 10:35am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 7:41pm | 2:33am | 9:20am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Southern Delta Aquariids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Aquarius (up to 25/hr). A favourite southern shower with a high radiant — steady rates through the small hours; overlaps the Alpha Capricornids. A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- Alpha Capricornids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Capricornus (up to 5/hr). Low rates but noted for slow, bright fireballs; radiant well placed from the south. A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — July 2008
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.