The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1983
Highlights this month
- 1FriNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:46am)
- 2SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.6° apart. (11:10pm)
- 21ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.1) — best evening apparition. (5:48pm)
- 22FriSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.1). (4:57am)
- 23SatLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 81% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 27WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 1° apart. (6:26am)
- 30SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.5° apart. (5:06am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 41m | 7:42pm | 5:05am |
| Sun 10 | 6:41am | 6:01pm | 11h 20m | 7:29pm | 5:14am |
| Wed 20 | 6:51am | 5:47pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Sat 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:30am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterTue 5, 6:43pm
- New MoonWed 13, 6:05pm
- First QuarterWed 20, 6:59pm
- Full MoonWed 27, 4:29pm
Apogee 7 Apr (404,900 km) · Perigee 21 Apr (369,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.6 | 8:22am | 1:28pm | 6:33pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.9 | 9:58am | 2:47pm | 7:36pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Ari | 1.4 | 7:50am | 1:08pm | 6:26pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Oph | −2.2 | 8:09pm | 3:26am | 10:39am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.1 | 6:17pm | 12:53am | 7:25am | All night |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.5 | 7:59pm | 3:19am | 10:34am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 9:26pm | 4:47am | 12:04pm | 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 81% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 1983
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.