The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2004
Highlights this month
- 5WedJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:47pm)
- 6ThuEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 15SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (6:34am)
- 17MonThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (6:47am)
- 17MonNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:44pm)
- 18TueVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:04am)
- 23SunThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (1:58am)
- 23SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (4:36am)
- 25TueMars and Saturn in conjunction — 2° apart. (4:20pm)
- 28FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (12:29am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Mon 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Thu 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Mon 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonWed 5, 6:36am
- Last QuarterTue 11, 9:04pm
- New MoonWed 19, 2:57pm
- First QuarterThu 27, 6:01pm
Perigee 6 May (359,800 km) · Apogee 22 May (406,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 0.4 | 5:01am | 10:39am | 4:16pm | Morning |
| Venus | Tau | −4.5 | 10:03am | 2:29pm | 6:55pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | 1.7 | 10:30am | 3:09pm | 7:47pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.9 | 1:59pm | 7:31pm | 1:07am | Evening |
| Saturn | Gem | 0.0 | 10:45am | 3:31pm | 8:17pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 12:49am | 7:22am | 1:55pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 11:01pm | 6:00am | 12:55pm | 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 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2004
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.