The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1971
Highlights this month
- 2SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:42pm)
- 6ThuEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 16SunThe Moon passes Mars — 0.9° apart. (7:13pm)
- 17MonSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:59pm)
- 18TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best morning apparition. (3:19am)
- 23SunJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Scorpius (mag −2.4). (6:59pm)
- 23SunNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Scorpius (mag 7.8). (9:33pm)
- 24MonMercury and Venus in conjunction — 2° apart. (10:29pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Mon 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 15m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Thu 20 | 7:17am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:45am |
| Mon 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 43m | 6:42pm | 5:52am |
Days shorten by about 50 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSun 2, 5:38pm
- Full MoonMon 10, 9:29pm
- Last QuarterTue 18, 6:19am
- New MoonMon 24, 10:29pm
Apogee 6 May (405,600 km) · Perigee 22 May (364,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.6 | 5:02am | 10:41am | 4:19pm | Morning |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 4:53am | 10:29am | 4:06pm | Morning |
| Mars | Cap | −0.5 | 10:12pm | 5:26am | 12:38pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sco | −2.4 | 5:45pm | 12:56am | 8:04am | All night |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 7:21am | 12:26pm | 5:32pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 3:15pm | 9:27pm | 3:43am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sco | 7.8 | 5:45pm | 12:54am | 7:58am | All night |
Meteor showers
- Eta Aquariids — peaks 6 May, radiant in Aquarius (up to 50/hr). Debris of Halley's Comet and one of the best showers of the year from the south — swift meteors in the pre-dawn eastern sky. A bright 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 1971
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 24 August 2026.