The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1984
Highlights this month
- 2MonNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:38pm)
- 3TueMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.1) — best evening apparition. (12:47pm)
- 5ThuMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:06pm)
- 12ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:40am)
- 17TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.6° apart. (11:04am)
- 18WedThe Moon passes Mars — 0.0° apart. (9:16am)
- 21SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (6:55pm)
- 22SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:43pm)
- 23MonLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30MonJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:46am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:34am | 6:13pm | 11h 39m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Tue 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Fri 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Mon 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 1, 10:11pm
- First QuarterMon 9, 2:57pm
- Full MoonMon 16, 5:10am
- Last QuarterMon 23, 10:31am
Perigee 14 Apr (360,300 km) · Apogee 26 Apr (405,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 3.3 | 7:49am | 12:58pm | 6:06pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 5:25am | 11:21am | 5:17pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Lib | −1.2 | 7:22pm | 2:31am | 9:35am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.0 | 10:19pm | 5:42am | 1:01pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.1 | 6:49pm | 1:39am | 8:25am | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.6 | 8:13pm | 3:35am | 10:53am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 9:32pm | 4:53am | 12:11pm | 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 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 1984
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 22 August 2026.