The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2071
Highlights this month
- 2FriNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 7.8). (2:36pm)
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 10SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.4° apart. (1:05am)
- 23FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.6° apart. (10:10am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 46m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Sat 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:38pm | 4:15am |
| Tue 20 | 6:18am | 8:42pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:30am |
| Sat 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 1, 11:19pm
- First QuarterFri 9, 10:14pm
- Full Moon SupermoonFri 16, 1:36pm
- Last QuarterFri 23, 1:19pm
- New MoonSat 31, 6:17pm
Apogee 1 Jan (406,200 km) · Perigee 15 Jan (357,800 km) · Apogee 28 Jan (405,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.5 | 4:55am | 12:20pm | 7:45pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.7 | 8:11am | 3:09pm | 10:06pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 1.4 | 4:42am | 12:07pm | 7:32pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.2 | 1:22pm | 7:01pm | 12:44am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.5 | 1:09am | 7:42am | 2:14pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.8 | 4:00am | 11:22am | 6:44pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 7:41pm | 12:33am | 5:21am | 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 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2071
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 18 August 2026.