The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1977
Highlights this month
- 1SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:41am)
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 89% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 13FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:57am)
- 14SatThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (8:19pm)
- 14SatThe Moon passes Venus — 1° apart. (8:47pm)
- 19ThuVenus and Mars in conjunction — 0.6° apart. (8:59am)
- 28SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best morning apparition. (9:13am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Tue 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Fri 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Tue 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full Moon SupermoonTue 3, 11:04pm
- Last QuarterTue 10, 2:08pm
- New MoonWed 18, 12:57pm
- First QuarterThu 26, 1:25pm
Perigee 4 May (357,600 km) · Apogee 19 May (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 1.8 | 5:34am | 11:03am | 4:32pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.6 | 3:53am | 9:39am | 3:26pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | 1.1 | 3:51am | 9:40am | 3:29pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Tau | −1.8 | 8:27am | 1:18pm | 6:09pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Cnc | 0.3 | 12:41pm | 5:43pm | 10:44pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.4 | 4:27pm | 11:15pm | 6:06am | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.8 | 6:31pm | 1:48am | 9:01am | Morning |
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 89% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 1977
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 23 August 2026.