The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1999
Highlights this month
- 1ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:35pm)
- 1ThuJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:38pm)
- 3SatThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (7:52pm)
- 14WedThe Moon passes Mercury — 1° apart. (2:45pm)
- 17SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (1:57am)
- 23FriLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 25SunMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag −1.7). (2:55am)
- 27TueSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:31pm)
- 30FriThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (9:14am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 41m | 7:42pm | 5:05am |
| Sat 10 | 6:41am | 6:01pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Tue 20 | 6:51am | 5:47pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Fri 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:30am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonThu 1, 8:52am
- Last QuarterFri 9, 12:51pm
- New MoonFri 16, 2:24pm
- First QuarterFri 23, 5:04am
Apogee 5 Apr (405,700 km) · Perigee 17 Apr (358,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.4 | 4:29am | 10:42am | 4:54pm | Morning |
| Venus | Tau | −3.9 | 10:03am | 2:51pm | 7:39pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | −1.4 | 6:27pm | 1:14am | 7:55am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Psc | −1.9 | 5:56am | 11:43am | 5:31pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Ari | 0.3 | 7:37am | 1:03pm | 6:29pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 1:09am | 8:05am | 3:01pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 12:11am | 7:15am | 2:20pm | 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 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 1999
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 15 August 2026.