The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2104
Highlights this month
- 4FriQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 40% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 13SunUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:00am)
- 20SunMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag −1.4). (3:27pm)
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (6:43am)
- 30WedJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:40am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
| Thu 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:17am | 8:43pm | 14h 26m | 10:31pm | 4:28am |
| Thu 31 | 6:30am | 8:35pm | 14h 06m | 10:19pm | 4:46am |
Days shorten by about 41 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 5, 1:49pm
- Full MoonSat 12, 7:23pm
- Last QuarterSun 20, 9:59pm
- New MoonMon 28, 7:10am
Perigee 2 Jan (367,900 km) · Apogee 18 Jan (405,200 km) · Perigee 30 Jan (362,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.5 | 4:57am | 12:22pm | 7:48pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −3.7 | 4:03am | 11:22am | 6:41pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | −1.3 | 9:20pm | 2:05am | 6:46am | All night |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.8 | 7:11am | 2:18pm | 9:24pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.4 | 3:11am | 10:21am | 5:31pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.8 | 2:29pm | 7:51pm | 1:17am | Evening |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 11:36pm | 5:34am | 11:27am | Morning |
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 2104
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 3 September 2026.