The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1985
Highlights this month
- 2ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (12:21am)
- 5SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (11:23pm)
- 6MonEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 11SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (6:13pm)
- 16ThuSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −0.1). (3:04am)
- 16ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (11:55am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Fri 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Mon 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Fri 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full Moon SupermoonSun 5, 5:53am
- Last QuarterSun 12, 3:34am
- New MoonMon 20, 7:45am
- First QuarterMon 27, 11:03pm
Perigee 4 May (357,300 km) · Apogee 17 May (406,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.2 | 5:16am | 10:50am | 4:23pm | Morning |
| Venus | Psc | −4.6 | 3:49am | 9:36am | 3:24pm | Morning |
| Mars | Tau | 1.6 | 8:49am | 1:34pm | 6:19pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.1 | 11:06pm | 6:05am | 1:01pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | −0.1 | 5:22pm | 12:23am | 7:20am | All night |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.5 | 6:30pm | 1:54am | 9:13am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.8 | 7:43pm | 3:04am | 10:21am | 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 bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 1985
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 21 August 2026.