The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2081
Highlights this month
- 4SatQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 30% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 11SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (12:12am)
- 16ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 0.7° apart. (7:48am)
- 17FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:11am)
- 23ThuNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag 7.8). (9:15pm)
- 25SatUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:13pm)
- 26SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:57pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 46m | 10:42pm | 4:05am |
| Fri 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 37m | 10:38pm | 4:16am |
| Mon 20 | 6:19am | 8:42pm | 14h 23m | 10:30pm | 4:31am |
| Fri 31 | 6:32am | 8:34pm | 14h 02m | 10:17pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 44 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 2, 7:32pm
- New MoonFri 10, 12:03pm
- First QuarterSat 18, 5:36pm
- Full Moon SupermoonSat 25, 3:07pm
Apogee 13 Jan (406,000 km) · Perigee 26 Jan (357,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −0.1 | 7:46am | 2:42pm | 9:38pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.7 | 10:02am | 4:27pm | 10:51pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 0.9 | 11:31am | 5:35pm | 11:40pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.8 | 8:44am | 3:31pm | 10:17pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Cap | 0.6 | 7:53am | 2:51pm | 9:49pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 7:02am | 2:10pm | 9:17pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cnc | 7.8 | 9:03pm | 2:07am | 7:07am | 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 30% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 2081
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 25 August 2026.