The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 2040
Highlights this month
- 7SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:23pm)
- 14SatThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (5:21am)
- 15SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (12:51pm)
- 16MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (8:02am)
- 18WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (6:03am)
- 26ThuUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:52am)
- 30MonSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 56% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30MonAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 56% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Tue 10 | 7:35am | 5:15pm | 9h 40m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Fri 20 | 7:30am | 5:22pm | 9h 52m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Tue 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 10m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 37 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 1, 8:19pm
- New MoonMon 9, 7:21pm
- First QuarterTue 17, 7:19pm
- Full Moon SupermoonTue 24, 12:06pm
- Last QuarterTue 31, 7:09am
Apogee 10 Jul (406,300 km) · Perigee 24 Jul (356,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | 0.6 | 6:04am | 10:59am | 3:55pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cnc | −3.7 | 8:23am | 1:19pm | 6:15pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 1.7 | 10:01am | 3:38pm | 9:14pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.6 | 10:40am | 4:34pm | 10:28pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.9 | 11:09am | 5:12pm | 11:15pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.6 | 8:12am | 1:07pm | 6:03pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.9 | 1:38am | 7:02am | 12:27pm | 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 56% 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 56% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — July 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.