The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 2104
Highlights this month
- 2SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (2:06am)
- 10SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:23pm)
- 11MonSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:54pm)
- 13WedPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 17SunUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:44am)
- 19TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.1) — best morning apparition. (8:49am)
- 20WedJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag −2.7). (4:29am)
- 29FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (10:49am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:21am | 5:32pm | 10h 11m | 7:03pm | 5:50am |
| Sun 10 | 7:12am | 5:39pm | 10h 28m | 7:09pm | 5:42am |
| Wed 20 | 6:59am | 5:48pm | 10h 49m | 7:17pm | 5:31am |
| Sun 31 | 6:44am | 5:57pm | 11h 14m | 7:25pm | 5:16am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonThu 7, 2:48am
- Last QuarterWed 13, 6:48pm
- New MoonThu 21, 3:27am
- First QuarterFri 29, 6:51am
Perigee 10 Aug (365,100 km) · Apogee 26 Aug (405,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 0.6 | 6:05am | 11:11am | 4:18pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −3.7 | 8:18am | 2:02pm | 7:46pm | Evening |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 8:59am | 3:08pm | 9:17pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.7 | 5:58pm | 12:48am | 7:33am | All night |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.3 | 11:59am | 7:07pm | 2:19am | Evening |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.8 | 12:11am | 5:25am | 10:38am | Morning |
| Neptune | Vir | 8.0 | 8:35am | 2:27pm | 8:19pm | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Perseids — peaks 13 August, radiant in Perseus (up to 100/hr). The famous northern shower, but its far-northern radiant scarcely rises from Victoria — only a trickle this far south. A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — August 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.