The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2008
Highlights this month
- 3SatSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:07pm)
- 6TueEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 10SatJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:18am)
- 10SatThe Moon passes Mars — 0.2° apart. (11:56pm)
- 13TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (7:42am)
- 14WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (22° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best evening apparition. (1:40pm)
- 24SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (10:22pm)
- 27TueNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:55am)
- 27TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:56am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Sat 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Tue 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Sat 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 5, 10:21pm
- First QuarterMon 12, 1:49pm
- Full MoonTue 20, 12:12pm
- Last QuarterWed 28, 1:00pm
Perigee 6 May (357,500 km) · Apogee 21 May (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | 0.4 | 9:09am | 1:46pm | 6:23pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 6:40am | 11:50am | 4:59pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.4 | 12:17pm | 5:09pm | 10:01pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.2 | 9:06pm | 4:25am | 11:40am | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.5 | 1:42pm | 7:04pm | 12:30am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 2:05am | 8:19am | 2:33pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 11:44pm | 6:35am | 1:21pm | 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 thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 2008
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.