The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1979
Highlights this month
- 3ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (2:56pm)
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 69% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 6SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (3:27pm)
- 6SunMercury and Mars in conjunction — 2° apart. (9:38pm)
- 10ThuSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:06pm)
- 10ThuUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag 5.4). (3:24pm)
- 21MonVenus and Mars in conjunction — 1.0° apart. (10:17am)
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (7:07am)
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (9:47am)
- 30WedMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:19am)
- 31ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (6:45am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Thu 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Sun 20 | 7:17am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:45am |
| Thu 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 43m | 6:42pm | 5:52am |
Days shorten by about 50 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 4, 2:25pm
- Full MoonSat 12, 12:09pm
- Last QuarterSat 19, 10:03am
- New MoonSat 26, 9:58am
Apogee 5 May (404,800 km) · Perigee 18 May (369,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.7 | 5:48am | 11:13am | 4:37pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 4:56am | 10:31am | 4:07pm | Morning |
| Mars | Ari | 1.3 | 5:11am | 10:40am | 4:09pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −1.7 | 12:16pm | 5:11pm | 10:06pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.6 | 2:00pm | 7:28pm | 12:59am | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.4 | 4:57pm | 11:59pm | 6:57am | All night |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.8 | 6:50pm | 2:09am | 9:24am | 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 69% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 1979
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.