The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 1971
Highlights this month
- 6SatNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:21am)
- 7SunMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:47am)
- 21SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (12:04am)
- 21SunAutumn equinox.
- 23TueJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:04pm)
- 24WedThe Moon passes Venus — 0.3° apart. (10:18am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 6:03am | 7:01pm | 12h 59m | 8:34pm | 4:30am |
| Wed 10 | 6:12am | 6:48pm | 12h 36m | 8:18pm | 4:42am |
| Sat 20 | 6:22am | 6:33pm | 12h 11m | 8:01pm | 4:53am |
| Wed 31 | 6:32am | 6:16pm | 11h 44m | 7:44pm | 5:04am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 4, 11:57am
- Full MoonFri 12, 12:37pm
- Last QuarterSat 20, 12:38pm
- New MoonSat 27, 5:19am
Apogee 12 Mar (406,300 km) · Perigee 26 Mar (356,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −1.6 | 6:55am | 12:59pm | 7:02pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Cap | −4.0 | 2:54am | 9:52am | 4:50pm | Morning |
| Mars | Sgr | 0.7 | 11:34pm | 6:59am | 2:22pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sco | −2.0 | 9:57pm | 5:11am | 12:22pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Ari | 0.1 | 10:45am | 3:58pm | 9:10pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 7:21pm | 1:40am | 7:55am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sco | 7.9 | 9:49pm | 4:58am | 12:04pm | Morning |
The solar system — March 1971
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 24 August 2026.