The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2009
Highlights this month
- 1ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (4:59am)
- 2FriSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:20am)
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 5MonMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (12:47am)
- 11SunMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:39pm)
- 15ThuVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (9:28am)
- 21WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:55am)
- 24SatJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:34pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Sat 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Tue 20 | 6:19am | 8:42pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Sat 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSun 4, 11:05pm
- Full Moon SupermoonSun 11, 2:29pm
- Last QuarterSun 18, 1:43pm
- New MoonMon 26, 6:55pm
Perigee 10 Jan (357,600 km) · Apogee 23 Jan (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | 1.8 | 7:19am | 2:15pm | 9:11pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.4 | 10:10am | 4:36pm | 11:01pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 5:20am | 12:43pm | 8:06pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.8 | 6:50am | 1:59pm | 9:09pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.8 | 11:26pm | 5:15am | 11:00am | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 10:47am | 5:04pm | 11:21pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 8:34am | 3:22pm | 10:10pm | 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 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 2009
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.