The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1983
Highlights this month
- 2MonMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:26pm)
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 39% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 13FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:32am)
- 16MonThe Moon passes Venus — 1° apart. (11:21am)
- 24TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (10:25am)
- 25WedMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:53am)
- 27FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.8° apart. (7:15am)
- 28SatJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Scorpius (mag −2.4). (8:10am)
- 29SunUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Scorpius (mag 5.5). (10:29am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Tue 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Fri 20 | 7:17am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:45am |
| Tue 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:52am |
Days shorten by about 50 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 5, 1:47pm
- New MoonFri 13, 5:31am
- First QuarterFri 20, 12:16am
- Full MoonFri 27, 4:48am
Apogee 4 May (404,800 km) · Perigee 17 May (367,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 6.9 | 6:55am | 12:02pm | 5:09pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −4.0 | 10:45am | 3:19pm | 7:53pm | Evening |
| Mars | Tau | 1.4 | 7:41am | 12:36pm | 5:32pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Sco | −2.4 | 6:01pm | 1:17am | 8:28am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.2 | 4:13pm | 10:42pm | 5:16am | Evening |
| Uranus | Sco | 5.5 | 5:58pm | 1:16am | 8:31am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.8 | 7:26pm | 2:47am | 10:04am | 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 39% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 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.