The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2015
Highlights this month
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 8ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (4:36pm)
- 15ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (7:27am)
- 16FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (10:59pm)
- 21WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:43pm)
- 31SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:41am)
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 39m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Tue 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Sat 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonMon 5, 3:54pm
- Last QuarterTue 13, 8:48pm
- New MoonWed 21, 12:20am
- First QuarterTue 27, 3:48pm
Apogee 10 Jan (405,600 km) · Perigee 22 Jan (359,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −0.6 | 7:47am | 2:47pm | 9:46pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.7 | 7:49am | 2:52pm | 9:55pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Aqr | 1.2 | 9:20am | 4:00pm | 10:40pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.3 | 10:02pm | 3:17am | 8:29am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.4 | 2:42am | 9:45am | 4:49pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 12:43pm | 6:30pm | 12:22am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 9:40am | 4:14pm | 10:48pm | 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 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2015
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.