The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 2017
Highlights this month
- 1SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (7:17pm)
- 7FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (1:50pm)
- 20ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (9:50pm)
- 25TueThe Moon passes Mercury — 0.8° apart. (7:16pm)
- 27ThuMars in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:50am)
- 29SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (8:21am)
- 30SunSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30SunAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (2:24pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Mon 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Thu 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Mon 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 1, 10:56am
- Full MoonSun 9, 2:09pm
- Last QuarterMon 17, 5:32am
- New MoonSun 23, 7:48pm
- First QuarterMon 31, 1:28am
Apogee 6 Jul (406,000 km) · Perigee 22 Jul (361,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | −0.2 | 8:54am | 2:01pm | 7:07pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −4.0 | 4:30am | 9:27am | 2:24pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | 1.7 | 7:53am | 12:42pm | 5:31pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.7 | 11:27am | 5:44pm | 12:04am | Evening |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.0 | 2:57pm | 10:13pm | 5:33am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 1:06am | 6:35am | 12:04pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 9:23pm | 3:51am | 10:16am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Southern Delta Aquariids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Aquarius (up to 25/hr). A favourite southern shower with a high radiant — steady rates through the small hours; overlaps the Alpha Capricornids. A 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- Alpha Capricornids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Capricornus (up to 5/hr). Low rates but noted for slow, bright fireballs; radiant well placed from the south. A 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — July 2017
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.