The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1981
Highlights this month
- 3FriMars in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:55am)
- 3FriThe Moon passes Mercury — 1° apart. (4:48pm)
- 7TueVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:55pm)
- 17FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (1:02pm)
- 17FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (5:09pm)
- 23ThuLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 28TueMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:21am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 40m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Thu 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 5, 6:21am
- First QuarterSat 11, 9:13pm
- Full MoonSun 19, 6:01pm
- Last QuarterMon 27, 8:19pm
Perigee 6 Apr (358,500 km) · Apogee 21 Apr (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.9 | 5:39am | 11:34am | 5:28pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.8 | 6:56am | 12:29pm | 6:02pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 1.2 | 6:34am | 12:10pm | 5:47pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −2.2 | 4:58pm | 10:59pm | 5:04am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.5 | 5:07pm | 11:08pm | 5:12am | Evening |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.5 | 7:26pm | 2:38am | 9:46am | Morning |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 9:06pm | 4:26am | 11:42am | 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 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 1981
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.