The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 2011
Highlights this month
- 1MonThe Moon passes Mercury — 1° apart. (8:29pm)
- 2TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:37pm)
- 13SatPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16TueVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:35pm)
- 17WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:00am)
- 20SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (7:49pm)
- 23TueNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag 7.8). (9:08am)
- 25ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (10:36pm)
- 26FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:06pm)
- 31WedJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:43am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 10m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
| Wed 10 | 7:12am | 5:39pm | 10h 27m | 7:09pm | 5:42am |
| Sat 20 | 7:00am | 5:47pm | 10h 48m | 7:16pm | 5:31am |
| Wed 31 | 6:44am | 5:57pm | 11h 12m | 7:25pm | 5:17am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 6, 9:08pm
- Full MoonSun 14, 4:57am
- Last QuarterMon 22, 7:52am
- New MoonMon 29, 1:09pm
Perigee 3 Aug (365,600 km) · Apogee 19 Aug (405,500 km) · Perigee 31 Aug (360,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Leo | 5.6 | 6:57am | 12:31pm | 6:05pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −3.8 | 7:12am | 12:25pm | 5:38pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | 1.4 | 4:39am | 9:21am | 2:04pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Ari | −2.3 | 12:02am | 5:20am | 10:39am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.8 | 9:28am | 3:40pm | 9:52pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 9:02pm | 3:05am | 9:04am | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 6:12pm | 12:57am | 7:38am | 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 bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — August 2011
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.