The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2009
Highlights this month
- 6WedEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 91% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 8FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:14am)
- 17SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (3:19pm)
- 18MonSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:37am)
- 18MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:01pm)
- 29FriNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:23pm)
- 31SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:46am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Sun 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Wed 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sun 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 2, 6:46am
- Full MoonSat 9, 1:58pm
- Last QuarterSun 17, 5:27pm
- New MoonSun 24, 10:18pm
- First QuarterSun 31, 1:21pm
Apogee 14 May (405,400 km) · Perigee 26 May (361,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | 6.3 | 7:42am | 12:37pm | 5:32pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.5 | 3:38am | 9:29am | 3:20pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | 1.2 | 4:09am | 9:53am | 3:38pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.1 | 11:51pm | 6:41am | 1:27pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.7 | 2:18pm | 7:55pm | 1:35am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 2:25am | 8:34am | 2:44pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 12:00am | 6:44am | 1:28pm | 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 91% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.