The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2010
Highlights this month
- 4MonQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 83% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 5TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:02am)
- 12TueVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:44am)
- 15FriSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:38am)
- 16SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:01am)
- 27WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag −0.1) — best morning apparition. (4:13pm)
- 30SatMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag −1.3). (6:38am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Sun 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Wed 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Sun 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonFri 1, 6:17am
- Last QuarterThu 7, 9:35pm
- New MoonFri 15, 6:16pm
- First QuarterSat 23, 10:03pm
- Full Moon SupermoonSat 30, 5:16pm
Perigee 2 Jan (358,800 km) · Apogee 17 Jan (406,200 km) · Perigee 30 Jan (356,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 0.5 | 4:56am | 12:06pm | 7:16pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.8 | 6:15am | 1:33pm | 8:51pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | −1.1 | 10:02pm | 3:01am | 7:55am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −1.9 | 9:06am | 3:49pm | 10:31pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.7 | 12:03am | 6:04am | 12:05pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 11:07am | 5:19pm | 11:31pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 8:46am | 3:32pm | 10:17pm | 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 bright 83% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2010
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.