The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2123
Highlights this month
- 4MonQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 7ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (23° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best morning apparition. (6:08pm)
- 13WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (1:47am)
- 16SatMars and Jupiter in conjunction — 2° apart. (12:50pm)
- 17SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:39pm)
- 19TueUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Gemini (mag 5.4). (12:30am)
- 19TueSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Cancer (mag −0.5). (7:38pm)
- 24SunThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (11:44am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:42pm | 4:03am |
| 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 | 4:46am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 5, 7:32pm
- Full MoonTue 12, 12:42pm
- Last QuarterWed 20, 12:35am
- New MoonThu 28, 2:04am
Perigee 9 Jan (364,700 km) · Apogee 21 Jan (404,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −0.3 | 4:34am | 11:55am | 7:16pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −4.1 | 3:15am | 10:23am | 5:33pm | Morning |
| Mars | Vir | 0.2 | 11:56pm | 5:55am | 11:50am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Vir | −2.0 | 11:49pm | 5:54am | 11:54am | Morning |
| Saturn | Cnc | −0.5 | 8:53pm | 1:51am | 6:44am | All night |
| Uranus | Gem | 5.4 | 8:51pm | 1:47am | 6:38am | All night |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 1:25am | 8:07am | 2:48pm | 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 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 2123
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 10 September 2026.