The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2078
Highlights this month
- 4TueSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:14am)
- 4TueQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 68% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 7FriThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (6:05am)
- 10MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (8:27pm)
- 12WedVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:50am)
- 13ThuUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:15pm)
- 17MonNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 7.8). (2:41pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 46m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Mon 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:38pm | 4:15am |
| Thu 20 | 6:19am | 8:42pm | 14h 23m | 10:30pm | 4:30am |
| Mon 31 | 6:31am | 8:34pm | 14h 03m | 10:17pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 6, 4:03pm
- New MoonFri 14, 12:19pm
- First QuarterFri 21, 9:03am
- Full MoonFri 28, 12:33pm
Apogee 6 Jan (404,700 km) · Perigee 19 Jan (369,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.6 | 5:15am | 12:41pm | 8:07pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −4.7 | 4:15am | 11:15am | 6:15pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 0.9 | 12:54am | 7:24am | 1:53pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sco | −1.6 | 2:52am | 10:04am | 5:16pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 5:27am | 12:45pm | 8:02pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 6:06am | 1:22pm | 8:38pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 8:41pm | 1:40am | 6:35am | 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 bright 68% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2078
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.