The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2171
Highlights this month
- 3ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (5:28am)
- 4FriQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 17ThuMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:11am)
- 28MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (12:31am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:59am | 8:46pm | 14h 47m | 10:41pm | 4:04am |
| Thu 10 | 6:07am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:38pm | 4:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:18am | 8:42pm | 14h 24m | 10:30pm | 4:29am |
| Thu 31 | 6:31am | 8:35pm | 14h 04m | 10:18pm | 4:47am |
Days shorten by about 42 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 6, 8:43pm
- First QuarterMon 14, 3:57pm
- Full MoonTue 22, 11:13am
- Last QuarterTue 29, 7:20am
Perigee 1 Jan (369,000 km) · Apogee 14 Jan (404,700 km) · Perigee 27 Jan (368,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | −1.2 | 6:02am | 1:25pm | 8:49pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Oph | −4.0 | 3:22am | 10:34am | 5:46pm | Morning |
| Mars | Cap | 1.2 | 8:06am | 3:03pm | 10:00pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.8 | 12:32am | 6:53am | 1:14pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.8 | 9:29am | 4:08pm | 10:47pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Aqr | 6.0 | 9:06am | 3:48pm | 10:30pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 8:17am | 3:08pm | 10:00pm | Hidden |
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 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — January 2171
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.