The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2040
Highlights this month
- 3TueMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −1.5). (2:07am)
- 4WedQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 81% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 5ThuMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:08pm)
- 6FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (6:50pm)
- 7SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (1:28pm)
- 12ThuNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:46am)
- 12ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (3:50am)
- 17TueJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:36pm)
- 22SunUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag 5.4). (6:47am)
- 22SunSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:54pm)
- 26ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (9:37pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Tue 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Fri 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Tue 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 05m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSat 7, 10:14pm
- New MoonSat 14, 2:23pm
- First QuarterSat 21, 1:20pm
- Full MoonSun 29, 6:59pm
Perigee 13 Jan (357,700 km) · Apogee 26 Jan (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −1.1 | 6:38am | 1:57pm | 9:15pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.8 | 3:47am | 11:04am | 6:22pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | −1.3 | 7:46pm | 12:18am | 4:46am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Vir | −2.0 | 11:49pm | 5:53am | 11:54am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.7 | 12:22am | 6:32am | 12:42pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.4 | 9:03pm | 2:01am | 6:56am | All night |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.8 | 2:10pm | 7:39pm | 1:13am | 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 81% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2040
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.