The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1989
Highlights this month
- 4TueMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:25pm)
- 5WedVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:09am)
- 9SunUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:22pm)
- 10MonThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (6:47pm)
- 14FriNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:36am)
- 23SunSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:32am)
- 23SunLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 27ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (10:43am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 6:34am | 6:14pm | 11h 40m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Mon 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Thu 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Sun 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 6, 1:30pm
- First QuarterThu 13, 9:13am
- Full MoonFri 21, 1:19pm
- Last QuarterSat 29, 6:54am
Perigee 6 Apr (356,800 km) · Apogee 19 Apr (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −1.4 | 7:45am | 1:02pm | 6:19pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.8 | 6:59am | 12:31pm | 6:03pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Tau | 1.5 | 11:30am | 4:08pm | 8:47pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Tau | −1.8 | 10:11am | 3:04pm | 7:57pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 10:27pm | 5:48am | 1:04pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.7 | 9:45pm | 5:11am | 12:34pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 10:21pm | 5:41am | 12:58pm | 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 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 1989
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.