The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 1998
Highlights this month
- 4MonNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:41pm)
- 5TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (2:32am)
- 6WedEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 76% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 13WedMars in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:02am)
- 13WedMercury and Saturn in conjunction — 0.8° apart. (7:56am)
- 18MonUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:33am)
- 21ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.3° apart. (9:33am)
- 23SatThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (8:43am)
- 23SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (6:59pm)
- 29FriVenus and Saturn in conjunction — 0.3° apart. (8:51am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Sun 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Wed 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sun 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSun 3, 8:06pm
- Full MoonTue 12, 12:36am
- Last QuarterTue 19, 2:41pm
- New MoonTue 26, 5:30am
Apogee 8 May (406,000 km) · Perigee 24 May (361,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.0 | 5:09am | 10:45am | 4:20pm | Morning |
| Venus | Psc | −3.9 | 3:47am | 9:39am | 3:31pm | Morning |
| Mars | Tau | 1.3 | 7:13am | 12:14pm | 5:15pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.0 | 2:08am | 8:23am | 2:38pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.4 | 4:59am | 10:34am | 4:09pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 10:48pm | 5:52am | 12:52pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 9:58pm | 5:08am | 12:14pm | 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 bright 76% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 1998
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 16 August 2026.