The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2001
Highlights this month
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 98% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 11FriThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (5:38am)
- 11FriNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:45am)
- 11FriMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:31pm)
- 19SatThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (10:52pm)
- 22TueMercury at greatest evening elongation (22° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (2:27pm)
- 25FriSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:31pm)
- 30WedUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:02am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Thu 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Sun 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Thu 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 1, 3:10am
- Full MoonMon 7, 11:52pm
- Last QuarterTue 15, 8:16pm
- New MoonWed 23, 12:52pm
- First QuarterWed 30, 8:08am
Perigee 2 May (369,400 km) · Apogee 15 May (404,700 km) · Perigee 27 May (368,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | −0.3 | 9:04am | 1:42pm | 6:20pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.6 | 3:41am | 9:31am | 3:21pm | Morning |
| Mars | Sgr | −1.5 | 7:13pm | 2:45am | 10:13am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Tau | −1.8 | 9:03am | 1:50pm | 6:37pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 7:54am | 12:53pm | 5:53pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.9 | 11:47pm | 6:38am | 1:25pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 10:29pm | 5:34am | 12:35pm | 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 98% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2001
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.