The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2014
Highlights this month
- 4SatQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 11% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 6MonJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −2.6). (8:09am)
- 11SatVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:29pm)
- 15WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (3:53pm)
- 23ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (3:30pm)
- 26SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.6° apart. (12:49am)
- 31FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (8:50pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Fri 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Mon 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Fri 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 1, 10:16pm
- First QuarterWed 8, 2:39pm
- Full MoonThu 16, 3:55pm
- Last QuarterFri 24, 4:24pm
- New MoonFri 31, 8:39am
Perigee 2 Jan (357,000 km) · Apogee 16 Jan (406,300 km) · Perigee 30 Jan (357,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −1.1 | 7:00am | 2:15pm | 9:29pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sgr | −3.7 | 6:07am | 1:01pm | 7:55pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 0.6 | 12:34am | 6:51am | 1:08pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.5 | 7:57pm | 12:46am | 5:31am | All night |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.5 | 2:07am | 9:01am | 3:56pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 12:22pm | 6:15pm | 12:12am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 9:28am | 4:05pm | 10:41pm | 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 11% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2014
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.