The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1972
Highlights this month
- 6ThuUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 5.4). (9:35am)
- 6ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (3:54pm)
- 7FriVenus and Saturn in conjunction — 5° apart. (10:35am)
- 8SatVenus at greatest evening elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.3) — best evening apparition. (11:17am)
- 13ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:01am)
- 17MonThe Moon passes Venus — 0.1° apart. (11:44am)
- 17MonThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (1:46pm)
- 19WedVenus and Mars in conjunction — 3° apart. (8:53pm)
- 23SunLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 77% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 25TueJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:44am)
- 28FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (10:18pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 6:34am | 6:13pm | 11h 40m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Mon 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Thu 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Sun 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 7, 9:46am
- New MoonFri 14, 6:32am
- First QuarterThu 20, 10:47pm
- Full MoonFri 28, 10:44pm
Apogee 1 Apr (406,100 km) · Perigee 14 Apr (357,100 km) · Apogee 28 Apr (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 1.4 | 5:02am | 11:02am | 5:01pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −4.4 | 10:47am | 3:21pm | 7:55pm | Evening |
| Mars | Tau | 1.6 | 10:45am | 3:29pm | 8:12pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.1 | 9:59pm | 5:23am | 12:43pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | 0.0 | 9:58am | 2:56pm | 7:54pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 5:24pm | 11:44pm | 6:08am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sco | 7.9 | 7:50pm | 3:01am | 10:08am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Lyrids — peaks 23 April, radiant in Lyra (up to 18/hr). A modest shower; the radiant is low in the north-east before dawn from Victoria. A bright 77% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 24 August 2026.