The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 1987
Highlights this month
- 4WedThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (8:05pm)
- 12ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:40am)
- 21SatAutumn equinox.
- 27FriThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (1:08am)
- 27FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best morning apparition. (6:41am)
- 27FriJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:12am)
- 27FriThe Moon passes Mercury — 1° apart. (7:21pm)
- 31TueSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:09pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:03am | 8:01pm | 12h 58m | 9:33pm | 5:30am |
| Mon 10 | 7:12am | 7:48pm | 12h 36m | 9:18pm | 5:42am |
| Fri 20 | 6:22am | 6:33pm | 12h 11m | 8:01pm | 4:53am |
| Tue 31 | 6:32am | 6:16pm | 11h 44m | 7:43pm | 5:04am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 7, 11:03pm
- Full MoonSun 15, 11:13pm
- Last QuarterMon 23, 2:27am
- New MoonSun 29, 10:49pm
Apogee 9 Mar (405,100 km) · Perigee 25 Mar (368,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Aqr | 0.7 | 4:23am | 10:59am | 5:35pm | Morning |
| Venus | Cap | −3.9 | 2:58am | 9:56am | 4:53pm | Morning |
| Mars | Ari | 1.4 | 10:35am | 3:42pm | 8:49pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −1.9 | 7:02am | 1:04pm | 7:05pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.3 | 10:54pm | 6:13am | 1:28pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.7 | 12:15am | 6:37am | 2:00pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 1:09am | 7:26am | 2:43pm | Morning |
The solar system — March 1987
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 20 August 2026.