The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2106
Highlights this month
- 1FriMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:37am)
- 2SatNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:28pm)
- 4MonQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 15FriMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:36am)
- 20WedUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:11pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Sun 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Wed 20 | 6:18am | 8:43pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Sun 31 | 6:30am | 8:35pm | 14h 05m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonTue 5, 8:53pm
- First QuarterWed 13, 1:54pm
- Full MoonWed 20, 5:21am
- Last QuarterWed 27, 10:10am
Apogee 3 Jan (406,100 km) · Perigee 18 Jan (360,400 km) · Apogee 30 Jan (405,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −1.1 | 6:51am | 2:08pm | 9:24pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.7 | 6:50am | 2:03pm | 9:16pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | −0.4 | 11:14pm | 4:48am | 10:19am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.0 | 11:52am | 5:54pm | 12:00am | Evening |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 4:28am | 11:46am | 7:05pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.8 | 3:07pm | 8:21pm | 1:38am | Evening |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 11:45pm | 5:48am | 11:47am | 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 thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2106
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 4 September 2026.