The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 1972
Highlights this month
- 7TueNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:15pm)
- 10FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (3:06am)
- 14TueMercury at greatest evening elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best evening apparition. (7:48pm)
- 19SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (10:10pm)
- 20MonAutumn equinox.
- 21TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:02pm)
- 31FriMars and Saturn in conjunction — 3° apart. (5:47pm)
- 31FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:53pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 6:04am | 7:00pm | 12h 57m | 8:32pm | 4:31am |
| Fri 10 | 6:13am | 6:47pm | 12h 34m | 8:17pm | 4:43am |
| Mon 20 | 6:22am | 6:32pm | 12h 09m | 8:00pm | 4:54am |
| Fri 31 | 6:33am | 6:15pm | 11h 42m | 7:42pm | 5:05am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterWed 8, 5:04pm
- New MoonWed 15, 9:35pm
- First QuarterWed 22, 12:12pm
- Full MoonThu 30, 6:07am
Apogee 5 Mar (405,500 km) · Perigee 17 Mar (360,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.2 | 7:52am | 1:32pm | 7:12pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −4.1 | 10:02am | 3:12pm | 8:23pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Ari | 1.3 | 11:07am | 4:06pm | 9:05pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −1.8 | 11:51pm | 7:15am | 2:35pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | 0.0 | 11:46am | 4:46pm | 9:47pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 7:30pm | 1:55am | 8:16am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sco | 7.9 | 9:53pm | 5:04am | 12:11pm | Morning |
The solar system — March 1972
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 24 August 2026.