The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2006
Highlights this month
- 4TueThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (5:12am)
- 5WedSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:47pm)
- 7FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (11:28am)
- 9SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (4:25am)
- 15SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (9:58pm)
- 23SunLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 26% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 25TueThe Moon passes Venus — 0.4° apart. (12:04am)
- 26WedThe Moon passes Mercury — 4° apart. (2:43pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:33am | 7:14pm | 11h 40m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Mon 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Thu 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:15pm | 5:23am |
| Sun 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 5, 10:00pm
- Full MoonFri 14, 2:43am
- Last QuarterFri 21, 1:39pm
- New MoonFri 28, 5:43am
Apogee 9 Apr (405,800 km) · Perigee 25 Apr (363,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.1 | 4:32am | 10:45am | 4:57pm | Morning |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.2 | 3:03am | 9:32am | 4:01pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | 1.4 | 12:13pm | 4:50pm | 9:26pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Lib | −2.3 | 6:50pm | 1:47am | 8:39am | Morning |
| Saturn | Cnc | 0.1 | 2:18pm | 7:14pm | 12:14am | Evening |
| Uranus | Aqr | 6.0 | 3:21am | 9:47am | 4:12pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 1:24am | 8:16am | 3:07pm | 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 26% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 2006
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.