The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2003
Highlights this month
- 4FriJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:05pm)
- 8TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (7:10am)
- 11FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (7:36pm)
- 17ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.1) — best evening apparition. (12:31am)
- 23WedLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 23WedThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (6:11pm)
- 27SunMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:18am)
- 29TueThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (5:32am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 41m | 7:42pm | 5:05am |
| Thu 10 | 6:41am | 6:01pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:51am | 5:47pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Wed 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 2, 5:18am
- First QuarterThu 10, 9:47am
- Full Moon SupermoonThu 17, 5:39am
- Last QuarterWed 23, 10:18pm
Apogee 4 Apr (406,100 km) · Perigee 17 Apr (357,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.1 | 8:30am | 1:32pm | 6:33pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 4:04am | 10:21am | 4:38pm | Morning |
| Mars | Sgr | 0.3 | 11:23pm | 6:41am | 1:58pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −2.0 | 2:32pm | 7:31pm | 12:34am | Evening |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 11:37am | 4:24pm | 9:11pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 2:26am | 9:05am | 3:44pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 12:53am | 7:51am | 2:48pm | 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 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 2003
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 July 2026.