The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — September 1986
Highlights this month
- 6SatMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:18am)
- 8MonThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (8:14am)
- 11ThuJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag −2.8). (7:19am)
- 13SatThe Moon passes Mars — 0.9° apart. (7:45pm)
- 15MonNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:38am)
- 18ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (1:24am)
- 23TueSpring equinox.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 6:43am | 5:58pm | 11h 15m | 7:26pm | 5:15am |
| Wed 10 | 6:29am | 6:05pm | 11h 36m | 7:33pm | 5:02am |
| Sat 20 | 6:14am | 6:14pm | 12h 00m | 7:42pm | 4:46am |
| Tue 30 | 5:58am | 6:23pm | 12h 25m | 7:52pm | 4:29am |
Days lengthen by about 70 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 4, 5:13pm
- First QuarterThu 11, 5:38pm
- Full MoonThu 18, 3:35pm
- Last QuarterFri 26, 1:22pm
Perigee 12 Sep (369,900 km) · Apogee 25 Sep (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.0 | 6:46am | 12:47pm | 6:48pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.5 | 7:55am | 2:55pm | 9:56pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | −1.3 | 12:33pm | 8:07pm | 3:44am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.8 | 5:36pm | 11:58pm | 6:25am | All night |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.4 | 9:48am | 4:54pm | 12:05am | Evening |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.7 | 10:33am | 5:54pm | 1:18am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 11:39am | 6:57pm | 2:18am | Evening |
The solar system — September 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.