The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 1978
Highlights this month
- 3FriMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:01am)
- 21TueNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:57am)
- 21TueAutumn equinox.
- 25SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best evening apparition. (3:07am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:03am | 8:01pm | 12h 58m | 9:33pm | 5:31am |
| Fri 10 | 6:12am | 6:48pm | 12h 35m | 8:18pm | 4:42am |
| Mon 20 | 6:22am | 6:32pm | 12h 11m | 8:01pm | 4:53am |
| Fri 31 | 6:32am | 6:16pm | 11h 43m | 7:43pm | 5:05am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 2, 7:40pm
- New MoonThu 9, 12:39pm
- First QuarterFri 17, 4:24am
- Full MoonSat 25, 2:21am
Perigee 5 Mar (366,500 km) · Apogee 17 Mar (404,800 km) · Perigee 31 Mar (369,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −1.2 | 7:29am | 1:21pm | 7:12pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 7:19am | 1:17pm | 7:15pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | −0.0 | 3:54pm | 8:32pm | 1:13am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.0 | 1:53pm | 6:36pm | 11:19pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.1 | 5:26pm | 10:40pm | 3:59am | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.5 | 8:48pm | 3:47am | 10:42am | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 10:43pm | 6:01am | 1:16pm | Morning |
The solar system — March 1978
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.