The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — September 1988
Highlights this month
- 5MonUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:00pm)
- 14WedThe Moon passes Mercury — 0.6° apart. (1:07am)
- 16FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.1) — best evening apparition. (8:21am)
- 18SunNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:42pm)
- 23FriSpring equinox.
- 25SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:06am)
- 28WedMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag −2.7). (1:55pm)
- 29ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:17am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 6:42am | 5:58pm | 11h 16m | 7:26pm | 5:14am |
| Sat 10 | 6:28am | 6:06pm | 11h 37m | 7:34pm | 5:01am |
| Tue 20 | 6:13am | 6:14pm | 12h 02m | 7:43pm | 4:45am |
| Fri 30 | 5:57am | 6:23pm | 12h 26m | 7:53pm | 4:28am |
Days lengthen by about 70 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSat 3, 1:47pm
- New MoonSun 11, 2:51pm
- First QuarterMon 19, 1:25pm
- Full Moon SupermoonMon 26, 5:09am
Apogee 10 Sep (406,200 km) · Perigee 25 Sep (357,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | 0.1 | 7:15am | 1:49pm | 8:24pm | Evening |
| Venus | Cnc | −4.1 | 4:17am | 9:24am | 2:31pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | −2.6 | 7:16pm | 1:26am | 7:31am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.3 | 12:06am | 5:01am | 9:56am | Morning |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.3 | 11:07am | 6:25pm | 1:47am | Evening |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.7 | 11:06am | 6:29pm | 1:56am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 11:56am | 7:14pm | 2:35am | Evening |
The solar system — September 1988
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.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 20 August 2026.
