The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — July 2171
Highlights this month
- 1MonSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:24am)
- 4ThuVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:32am)
- 8MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:07pm)
- 10WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (5:49pm)
- 19FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:01pm)
- 21SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (10:03pm)
- 29MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best morning apparition. (6:14pm)
- 30TueSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 30TueAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:38am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Wed 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Sat 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Wed 31 | 7:23am | 5:31pm | 10h 08m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 3, 6:54pm
- First QuarterThu 11, 12:24am
- Full MoonWed 17, 6:09pm
- Last QuarterThu 25, 8:33am
Perigee 14 Jul (366,800 km) · Apogee 26 Jul (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | 3.7 | 6:39am | 11:41am | 4:44pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −3.8 | 7:51am | 12:40pm | 5:30pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | 1.6 | 6:20am | 11:01am | 3:42pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.7 | 11:19am | 5:31pm | 11:44pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.8 | 9:45pm | 4:11am | 10:33am | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 8:37pm | 3:17am | 9:53am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 7:35pm | 2:28am | 9:16am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Southern Delta Aquariids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Aquarius (up to 25/hr). A favourite southern shower with a high radiant — steady rates through the small hours; overlaps the Alpha Capricornids. A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- Alpha Capricornids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Capricornus (up to 5/hr). Low rates but noted for slow, bright fireballs; radiant well placed from the south. A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — July 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 7 October 2026.