The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2186
Highlights this month
- 4WedQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 5ThuUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:04am)
- 8SunSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:51pm)
- 11WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (3:20am)
- 16MonMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best evening apparition. (7:36am)
- 22SunMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:18pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 46m | 10:41pm | 4:04am |
| Tue 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:38pm | 4:15am |
| Fri 20 | 6:18am | 8:42pm | 14h 24m | 10:30pm | 4:30am |
| Tue 31 | 6:31am | 8:34pm | 14h 03m | 10:17pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full Moon SupermoonFri 6, 1:56am
- Last QuarterThu 12, 11:26pm
- New MoonSat 21, 4:15am
- First QuarterSat 28, 9:58pm
Perigee 5 Jan (357,100 km) · Apogee 18 Jan (406,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | −0.6 | 7:47am | 2:47pm | 9:47pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −3.7 | 7:21am | 2:29pm | 9:36pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 1.2 | 7:34am | 2:38pm | 9:41pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.7 | 5:03am | 12:24pm | 7:44pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.8 | 11:42pm | 5:40am | 11:34am | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 1:50pm | 7:20pm | 12:55am | Evening |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 10:55am | 5:10pm | 11:26pm | Evening |
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 bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — January 2186
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 14 October 2026.