The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 1997
Highlights this month
- 6ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (11:32pm)
- 12WedMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:20am)
- 17MonMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag −1.3). (6:41pm)
- 21FriAutumn equinox.
- 23SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (10:02pm)
- 31MonSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:52am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:03am | 8:00pm | 12h 57m | 9:32pm | 5:31am |
| Sun 10 | 7:13am | 7:47pm | 12h 35m | 9:17pm | 5:42am |
| Wed 20 | 7:22am | 7:32pm | 12h 10m | 9:00pm | 5:54am |
| Mon 31 | 6:33am | 6:15pm | 11h 42m | 7:43pm | 5:05am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 2, 8:48pm
- New MoonSun 9, 12:15pm
- First QuarterSun 16, 11:05am
- Full MoonMon 24, 3:46pm
Perigee 8 Mar (357,400 km) · Apogee 21 Mar (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −1.8 | 7:33am | 1:43pm | 7:52pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −3.8 | 6:54am | 1:14pm | 7:34pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | −1.3 | 7:56pm | 1:49am | 7:37am | All night |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.8 | 3:46am | 10:47am | 5:47pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.7 | 8:24am | 2:23pm | 8:21pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 3:24am | 10:29am | 5:34pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 2:47am | 9:55am | 5:03pm | Morning |
The solar system — March 1997
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 16 August 2026.