The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2009
Highlights this month
- 15WedVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:16pm)
- 20MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (12:29am)
- 22WedThe Moon passes Venus — 0.9° apart. (11:27pm)
- 23ThuLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A thin 4% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 25SatVenus and Mars in conjunction — 4° apart. (1:54am)
- 26SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best evening apparition. (5:41pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 40m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Thu 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 3, 1:38am
- Full MoonFri 10, 12:53am
- Last QuarterFri 17, 11:34pm
- New MoonSat 25, 1:30pm
Perigee 2 Apr (369,900 km) · Apogee 16 Apr (404,800 km) · Perigee 28 Apr (366,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −1.0 | 8:07am | 1:17pm | 6:26pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.4 | 4:48am | 10:37am | 4:26pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | 1.2 | 4:13am | 10:27am | 4:40pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.9 | 1:33am | 8:23am | 3:14pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.5 | 4:18pm | 9:56pm | 3:37am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 6.0 | 4:16am | 10:27am | 4:38pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 1:56am | 8:40am | 3:25pm | 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 thin 4% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — April 2009
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.