The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 2104
Highlights this month
- 4FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best evening apparition. (12:01am)
- 5SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (7:16pm)
- 17ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:51am)
- 30WedSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30WedAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 31ThuMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:24pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:38am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Thu 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Sun 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Thu 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonTue 8, 5:10pm
- Last QuarterTue 15, 2:01pm
- New MoonTue 22, 2:56pm
- First QuarterWed 30, 1:57pm
Apogee 1 Jul (404,700 km) · Perigee 14 Jul (369,600 km) · Apogee 29 Jul (404,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 1.4 | 8:36am | 1:52pm | 7:09pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cnc | −3.7 | 8:38am | 1:38pm | 6:38pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 1.5 | 10:17am | 4:01pm | 9:45pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.5 | 8:18pm | 3:03am | 9:43am | Morning |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.1 | 2:03pm | 9:11pm | 4:23am | Evening |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.8 | 2:11am | 7:25am | 12:39pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.9 | 10:35am | 4:26pm | 10:17pm | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Southern Delta Aquariids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Aquarius (up to 25/hr). A favourite southern shower with a high radiant — steady rates through the small hours; overlaps the Alpha Capricornids. A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- Alpha Capricornids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Capricornus (up to 5/hr). Low rates but noted for slow, bright fireballs; radiant well placed from the south. A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — July 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 3 September 2026.