The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1997
Highlights this month
- 2WedVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:13pm)
- 3ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (4:19pm)
- 6SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.0) — best evening apparition. (11:00am)
- 15TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:43pm)
- 19SatThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (1:34pm)
- 23WedLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 25FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:28pm)
- 29TueMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:07pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:34am | 6:13pm | 11h 40m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Thu 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Wed 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterTue 1, 5:49am
- New MoonMon 7, 9:01pm
- First QuarterTue 15, 3:00am
- Full MoonWed 23, 6:38am
- Last QuarterWed 30, 12:46pm
Perigee 5 Apr (361,000 km) · Apogee 17 Apr (405,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 2.0 | 8:07am | 1:12pm | 6:16pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.8 | 7:02am | 12:33pm | 6:04pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | −0.8 | 4:25pm | 10:04pm | 3:47am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.9 | 1:12am | 8:07am | 3:02pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.7 | 5:41am | 11:35am | 5:28pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 12:27am | 7:31am | 2:35pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 11:44pm | 6:55am | 2:03pm | 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 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 1997
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 16 August 2026.