The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — August 2170
Highlights this month
- 6MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:34pm)
- 11SatNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Capricornus (mag 7.8). (8:07pm)
- 13MonPerseids meteor shower peaks (up to 100/hr). A thin 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 14TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (7:21pm)
- 15WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.0) — best morning apparition. (11:46pm)
- 19SunVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:06pm)
- 22WedUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag 5.7). (10:15am)
- 26SunSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag 0.3). (3:40pm)
- 26SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (9:07pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:21am | 5:32pm | 10h 11m | 7:03pm | 5:50am |
| Fri 10 | 7:12am | 5:40pm | 10h 28m | 7:09pm | 5:42am |
| Mon 20 | 6:59am | 5:48pm | 10h 49m | 7:17pm | 5:31am |
| Fri 31 | 6:44am | 5:58pm | 11h 14m | 7:25pm | 5:16am |
Days lengthen by about 63 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 5, 11:30am
- New MoonSun 12, 5:53pm
- First QuarterSun 19, 8:24am
- Full MoonSun 26, 10:56pm
Apogee 2 Aug (405,400 km) · Perigee 14 Aug (361,100 km) · Apogee 30 Aug (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 0.0 | 6:04am | 11:08am | 4:12pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.5 | 8:13am | 2:25pm | 8:36pm | Evening |
| Mars | Vir | 1.1 | 9:47am | 4:24pm | 11:01pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.5 | 8:27am | 2:15pm | 8:03pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.3 | 6:30pm | 1:13am | 7:52am | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 6:09pm | 12:54am | 7:36am | All night |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 5:17pm | 12:13am | 7:04am | All night |
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 thin 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — August 2170
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 7 October 2026.