The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2016
Highlights this month
- 1FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (4:08am)
- 4MonThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (6:39am)
- 4MonQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 5TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:36pm)
- 7ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (11:48am)
- 7ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (4:22pm)
- 9SatJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:36am)
- 9SatVenus and Saturn in conjunction — 0.1° apart. (2:47pm)
- 15FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:00am)
- 26TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:41am)
- 28ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (11:27am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Sun 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Wed 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Sun 31 | 6:30am | 8:35pm | 14h 05m | 10:19pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSat 2, 4:34pm
- New MoonSun 10, 12:36pm
- First QuarterSun 17, 10:26am
- Full MoonSun 24, 12:46pm
Apogee 2 Jan (404,700 km) · Perigee 15 Jan (369,300 km) · Apogee 30 Jan (405,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 6.1 | 6:21am | 1:22pm | 8:23pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.8 | 3:42am | 10:58am | 6:14pm | Morning |
| Mars | Vir | 1.1 | 1:21am | 8:02am | 2:44pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.0 | 11:29pm | 5:22am | 11:12am | Morning |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.4 | 3:18am | 10:30am | 5:41pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 1:03pm | 6:46pm | 12:33am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 9:51am | 4:23pm | 10:55pm | Evening |
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 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 2016
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.