The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1973
Highlights this month
- 7SatMars and Jupiter in conjunction — 0.8° apart. (7:07am)
- 8SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (5:22am)
- 10TueVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:30am)
- 10TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (11:36pm)
- 11WedUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 5.4). (11:13am)
- 23MonLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 73% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 26ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (1:08pm)
- 27FriThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (11:46am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 40m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Tue 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Fri 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:15pm | 5:23am |
| Mon 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonTue 3, 9:51pm
- First QuarterTue 10, 2:29pm
- Full MoonTue 17, 11:47pm
- Last QuarterThu 26, 3:59am
Perigee 6 Apr (365,000 km) · Apogee 22 Apr (405,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.2 | 4:30am | 10:43am | 4:56pm | Morning |
| Venus | Psc | −3.8 | 6:53am | 12:26pm | 6:00pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 0.7 | 12:51am | 7:54am | 2:56pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.9 | 12:31am | 7:34am | 2:37pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 11:00am | 3:50pm | 8:40pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 5:38pm | 12:07am | 6:33am | All night |
| Neptune | Sco | 7.9 | 7:59pm | 3:11am | 10:19am | 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 73% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 1973
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.