The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2002
Highlights this month
- 4SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best evening apparition. (1:41pm)
- 6MonEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 13MonNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:39pm)
- 16ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:34pm)
- 16ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (10:07pm)
- 27MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:09pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Fri 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Mon 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Fri 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSat 4, 5:22pm
- New MoonSun 12, 8:48pm
- First QuarterMon 20, 5:47am
- Full MoonSun 26, 9:53pm
Apogee 8 May (405,600 km) · Perigee 23 May (364,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | 2.3 | 8:39am | 1:22pm | 6:04pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 9:42am | 2:20pm | 6:59pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Tau | 1.7 | 9:30am | 2:10pm | 6:51pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Gem | −1.7 | 11:02am | 3:47pm | 8:31pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 8:54am | 1:45pm | 6:36pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 12:12am | 6:54am | 1:37pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 10:41pm | 5:44am | 12:43pm | 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 31% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 2002
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 July 2026.