The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — November 1978
Highlights this month
- 5SunSouthern Taurids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 8WedVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:22am)
- 9ThuUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:43pm)
- 16ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (23° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best evening apparition. (1:23pm)
- 17FriLeonids meteor shower peaks (up to 15/hr). A bright 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 21TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (1:57pm)
- 24FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (10:27am)
- 26SunMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:31am)
- 26SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:28pm)
- 27MonVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:05am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:13am | 7:55pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
| Thu 10 | 6:04am | 8:04pm | 14h 01m | 9:47pm | 4:21am |
| Sun 20 | 5:56am | 8:16pm | 14h 20m | 10:03pm | 4:09am |
| Wed 30 | 5:51am | 8:26pm | 14h 35m | 10:18pm | 3:59am |
Days lengthen by about 54 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 1, 7:09am
- First QuarterWed 8, 3:18am
- Full MoonWed 15, 7:01am
- Last QuarterThu 23, 8:23am
- New MoonThu 30, 7:25pm
Perigee 6 Nov (368,700 km) · Apogee 21 Nov (405,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Oph | −0.3 | 7:06am | 2:37pm | 10:08pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.9 | 5:14am | 12:15pm | 7:15pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Oph | 1.4 | 6:56am | 2:15pm | 9:35pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.0 | 1:30am | 6:31am | 11:33am | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.8 | 3:08am | 8:43am | 2:19pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.7 | 5:47am | 12:43pm | 7:40pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 7:35am | 2:49pm | 10:03pm | Hidden |
Meteor showers
- Southern Taurids — peaks 5 November, radiant in Taurus (up to 5/hr). Sparse but rich in slow fireballs over a long, broad maximum. A thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- Leonids — peaks 17 November, radiant in Leo (up to 15/hr). Fast meteors; the radiant rises after midnight and is moderate from the south. A bright 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — November 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.