The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1986
Highlights this month
- 1TueThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (12:25pm)
- 6SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (2:35pm)
- 7MonThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (9:25am)
- 7MonNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:41pm)
- 14MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (12:43am)
- 23WedLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 98% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29TueThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (4:28pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 41m | 7:42pm | 5:06am |
| Thu 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Wed 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterWed 2, 5:30am
- New MoonWed 9, 4:12pm
- First QuarterThu 17, 8:39pm
- Full MoonThu 24, 10:48pm
Apogee 13 Apr (405,600 km) · Perigee 26 Apr (359,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.3 | 4:29am | 10:42am | 4:55pm | Morning |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 8:32am | 1:41pm | 6:50pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | −0.2 | 10:00pm | 5:26am | 12:50pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −1.9 | 3:17am | 9:44am | 4:11pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.1 | 8:08pm | 3:20am | 10:28am | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.6 | 8:50pm | 4:15am | 11:37am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 9:53pm | 5:14am | 12:31pm | 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 98% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 1986
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.