The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2074
Highlights this month
- 4ThuQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 40% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 6SatMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:37pm)
- 8MonNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 7.8). (9:39pm)
- 15MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.9° apart. (12:23am)
- 16TueThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (7:27pm)
- 18ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (9:25am)
- 23TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (5:25am)
- 24WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:13pm)
- 28SunJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag −2.5). (2:47pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 46m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Wed 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:38pm | 4:15am |
| Sat 20 | 6:19am | 8:42pm | 14h 23m | 10:30pm | 4:30am |
| Wed 31 | 6:31am | 8:34pm | 14h 03m | 10:17pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 5, 5:25pm
- Full MoonSat 13, 5:32pm
- Last QuarterSat 20, 7:24pm
- New MoonSat 27, 5:43pm
Apogee 7 Jan (404,900 km) · Perigee 21 Jan (369,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −0.8 | 7:44am | 2:46pm | 9:47pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.8 | 6:40am | 1:54pm | 9:08pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | −0.6 | 10:51pm | 4:14am | 9:33am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.4 | 9:28pm | 2:34am | 7:36am | All night |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.4 | 2:46am | 9:51am | 4:57pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 4:51am | 12:14pm | 7:36pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 8:07pm | 1:01am | 5:51am | All night |
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 40% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 2074
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 20 August 2026.