The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1991
Highlights this month
- 6MonEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 57% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 6MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (4:05pm)
- 13MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (3:53am)
- 17FriThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (4:51pm)
- 17FriSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:50pm)
- 18SatThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (7:20pm)
- 19SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (3:10pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Fri 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Mon 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:45am |
| Fri 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:52am |
Days shorten by about 50 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterTue 7, 10:47am
- New MoonTue 14, 2:43pm
- First QuarterTue 21, 5:44am
- Full MoonTue 28, 9:34pm
Apogee 4 May (405,500 km) · Perigee 16 May (360,500 km) · Apogee 31 May (406,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.3 | 5:00am | 10:39am | 4:17pm | Morning |
| Venus | Gem | −4.1 | 10:47am | 3:21pm | 7:54pm | Evening |
| Mars | Gem | 1.5 | 11:47am | 4:32pm | 9:17pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −1.8 | 12:28pm | 5:27pm | 10:25pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Cap | 0.5 | 10:20pm | 5:29am | 12:34pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.7 | 8:26pm | 3:51am | 11:12am | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 8:45pm | 4:03am | 11:18am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Eta Aquariids — peaks 6 May, radiant in Aquarius (up to 50/hr). Debris of Halley's Comet and one of the best showers of the year from the south — swift meteors in the pre-dawn eastern sky. A 57% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 1991
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 19 August 2026.