The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2041
Highlights this month
- 4FriQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 5SatVenus at greatest evening elongation (47° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best evening apparition. (8:08pm)
- 6SunThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (2:49pm)
- 13SunNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:15pm)
- 20SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (12:51am)
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.2° apart. (11:48pm)
- 25FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.4° apart. (12:45pm)
- 26SatUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag 5.4). (2:22am)
- 26SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:12am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 46m | 10:42pm | 4:05am |
| Thu 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:38pm | 4:15am |
| Sun 20 | 6:19am | 8:42pm | 14h 23m | 10:30pm | 4:30am |
| Thu 31 | 6:31am | 8:34pm | 14h 03m | 10:17pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 3, 6:10am
- First QuarterWed 9, 9:05pm
- Full MoonThu 17, 6:15pm
- Last QuarterFri 25, 9:37pm
Perigee 4 Jan (358,700 km) · Apogee 19 Jan (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −0.8 | 7:41am | 2:44pm | 9:46pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.5 | 10:09am | 4:34pm | 10:59pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.3 | 5:36am | 12:58pm | 8:20pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.7 | 1:01am | 7:36am | 2:11pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.6 | 12:50am | 7:14am | 1:39pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.4 | 9:16pm | 2:18am | 7:17am | All night |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.8 | 2:18pm | 7:45pm | 1:16am | 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 thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2041
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.