The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2000
Highlights this month
- 6SatEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 8MonJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:19pm)
- 8MonNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:57pm)
- 9TueMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:38pm)
- 11ThuSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:28am)
- 25ThuUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:16pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Wed 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Sat 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Wed 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 4, 2:20pm
- First QuarterThu 11, 6:01am
- Full MoonThu 18, 5:32pm
- Last QuarterFri 26, 9:58pm
Perigee 6 May (363,200 km) · Apogee 22 May (405,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | −1.7 | 7:53am | 12:45pm | 5:36pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 6:36am | 11:47am | 4:58pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Tau | 1.6 | 8:23am | 1:11pm | 6:00pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Ari | −1.9 | 6:49am | 11:57am | 5:04pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Ari | 0.0 | 6:54am | 12:04pm | 5:14pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 11:26pm | 6:22am | 1:13pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 10:17pm | 5:24am | 12:27pm | 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 thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 2000
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 15 August 2026.