The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2122
Highlights this month
- 3SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:59am)
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 20% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 5MonSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag −0.6). (5:34pm)
- 14WedMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:26am)
- 14WedUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 5.4). (6:17am)
- 21WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.6° apart. (4:35pm)
- 25SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (6:16am)
- 25SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (24° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best morning apparition. (8:35am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:04am |
| Sat 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 39m | 10:39pm | 4:14am |
| Tue 20 | 6:18am | 8:42pm | 14h 25m | 10:31pm | 4:29am |
| Sat 31 | 6:30am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 1, 8:21am
- New MoonFri 9, 2:50am
- First QuarterThu 15, 10:56pm
- Full MoonFri 23, 3:42am
- Last QuarterSat 31, 5:49am
Apogee 1 Jan (404,700 km) · Perigee 13 Jan (368,400 km) · Apogee 29 Jan (405,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 0.2 | 4:47am | 11:58am | 7:10pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.7 | 6:56am | 2:08pm | 9:20pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 1.2 | 6:58am | 2:09pm | 9:19pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.2 | 10:28pm | 3:55am | 9:17am | Morning |
| Saturn | Gem | −0.5 | 7:53pm | 12:45am | 5:32am | All night |
| Uranus | Gem | 5.4 | 8:33pm | 1:25am | 6:14am | All night |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 1:18am | 7:58am | 2:37pm | 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 20% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2122
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 9 September 2026.