The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2076
Highlights this month
- 2ThuMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:10am)
- 4SatQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 5SunUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:49pm)
- 12SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:27pm)
- 13MonNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 7.8). (6:13pm)
- 24FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (24° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best morning apparition. (2:50am)
- 27MonThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (4:38am)
- 27MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (5:57pm)
- 30ThuJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:12am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Fri 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:39pm | 4:15am |
| Mon 20 | 6:18am | 8:42pm | 14h 24m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Fri 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 6, 9:17pm
- First QuarterMon 13, 1:58pm
- Full MoonTue 21, 3:45pm
- Last QuarterWed 29, 3:27pm
Perigee 7 Jan (356,900 km) · Apogee 21 Jan (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 0.1 | 4:43am | 11:55am | 7:07pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.0 | 9:35am | 4:13pm | 10:50pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 0.3 | 12:07am | 6:07am | 12:08pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.9 | 12:22am | 6:38am | 12:54pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.4 | 4:03am | 11:20am | 6:37pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 5:30am | 12:50pm | 8:10pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 8:26pm | 1:23am | 6:15am | 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 thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2076
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 21 August 2026.