The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2031
Highlights this month
- 4SatQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 83% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 5SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (23° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best morning apparition. (6:45am)
- 5SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (9:31am)
- 17FriThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (8:03am)
- 20MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.7° apart. (5:34pm)
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 39m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Mon 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Fri 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 1, 12:33am
- Full MoonThu 9, 5:30am
- Last QuarterThu 16, 11:55pm
- New MoonThu 23, 3:28pm
- First QuarterThu 30, 6:45pm
Apogee 6 Jan (406,100 km) · Perigee 22 Jan (359,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.3 | 4:37am | 11:59am | 7:21pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.7 | 7:55am | 2:57pm | 9:58pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 0.9 | 1:03am | 7:36am | 2:09pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Oph | −1.6 | 3:34am | 10:52am | 6:10pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.2 | 4:43pm | 9:44pm | 2:48am | Evening |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.6 | 6:12pm | 10:55pm | 3:43am | Evening |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 12:31pm | 6:24pm | 12:20am | 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 bright 83% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2031
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.