The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1980
Highlights this month
- 3ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (2:44am)
- 6SunVenus at greatest evening elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.3) — best evening apparition. (2:50am)
- 7MonMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:30pm)
- 13SunThe Moon passes Mercury — 0.1° apart. (6:40pm)
- 23WedLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 61% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (4:00pm)
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1.0° apart. (8:56pm)
- 26SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.3° apart. (2:28pm)
- 27SunJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:01am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:34am | 6:13pm | 11h 40m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Thu 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Wed 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonTue 1, 1:19am
- Last QuarterTue 8, 10:15pm
- New MoonTue 15, 1:43pm
- First QuarterTue 22, 1:02pm
- Full MoonWed 30, 5:42pm
Perigee 14 Apr (357,800 km) · Apogee 27 Apr (405,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.1 | 4:42am | 10:52am | 5:02pm | Morning |
| Venus | Tau | −4.4 | 10:47am | 3:20pm | 7:54pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | −0.2 | 3:30pm | 8:43pm | 1:59am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.1 | 3:35pm | 8:57pm | 2:23am | Evening |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.7 | 4:32pm | 10:16pm | 4:05am | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.5 | 7:10pm | 2:18am | 9:21am | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 8:56pm | 4:15am | 11:31am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Lyrids — peaks 23 April, radiant in Lyra (up to 18/hr). A modest shower; the radiant is low in the north-east before dawn from Victoria. A bright 61% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 1980
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.