The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 1981
Highlights this month
- 2MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:52am)
- 5ThuThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (1:04am)
- 5ThuUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:43am)
- 5ThuJupiter and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (7:12pm)
- 16MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best morning apparition. (10:53am)
- 21SatAutumn equinox.
- 21SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (1:23pm)
- 21SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (2:57pm)
- 26ThuJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag −2.3). (3:44pm)
- 27FriNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:21pm)
- 27FriSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.3). (2:09pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 6:03am | 7:01pm | 12h 57m | 8:33pm | 4:31am |
| Tue 10 | 6:13am | 6:47pm | 12h 35m | 8:17pm | 4:42am |
| Fri 20 | 6:22am | 6:32pm | 12h 10m | 8:00pm | 4:54am |
| Tue 31 | 6:33am | 6:15pm | 11h 43m | 7:43pm | 5:05am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 6, 8:32pm
- First QuarterFri 13, 11:52am
- Full MoonSat 21, 1:26am
- Last QuarterSun 29, 5:35am
Perigee 8 Mar (362,900 km) · Apogee 24 Mar (405,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cap | 0.2 | 4:01am | 10:47am | 5:32pm | Morning |
| Venus | Aqr | −3.8 | 5:47am | 12:09pm | 6:31pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 1.1 | 6:38am | 12:45pm | 6:52pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −2.3 | 7:09pm | 1:19am | 7:25am | All night |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.4 | 7:15pm | 1:22am | 7:26am | All night |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.5 | 9:30pm | 4:42am | 11:51am | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 11:08pm | 6:28am | 1:44pm | Morning |
The solar system — March 1981
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 23 August 2026.