The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1978
Highlights this month
- 5FriThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (10:49am)
- 5FriUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag 5.4). (3:31pm)
- 6SatEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 10WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (1:18am)
- 15MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (5:59pm)
- 29MonVenus and Jupiter in conjunction — 2° apart. (1:35pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Wed 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Sat 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:45am |
| Wed 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:52am |
Days shorten by about 50 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 7, 2:51pm
- First QuarterMon 15, 5:38pm
- Full MoonMon 22, 11:21pm
- Last QuarterMon 29, 1:34pm
Apogee 12 May (405,400 km) · Perigee 24 May (361,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.2 | 5:02am | 10:40am | 4:18pm | Morning |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 9:33am | 2:13pm | 6:53pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.0 | 12:57pm | 6:00pm | 11:03pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −1.7 | 10:31am | 3:14pm | 7:57pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.4 | 1:23pm | 6:36pm | 11:50pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.4 | 4:42pm | 11:35pm | 6:32am | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.8 | 6:40pm | 1:58am | 9:12am | 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 thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 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.