The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2010
Highlights this month
- 6ThuEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 49% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 11TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:19am)
- 20ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (6:13pm)
- 26WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best morning apparition. (12:14pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Mon 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Thu 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Mon 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 6, 2:20pm
- New MoonFri 14, 11:11am
- First QuarterFri 21, 9:42am
- Full MoonFri 28, 9:06am
Apogee 7 May (404,800 km) · Perigee 20 May (369,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 1.5 | 5:25am | 10:57am | 4:28pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 9:44am | 2:23pm | 7:02pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 0.9 | 1:08pm | 6:15pm | 11:22pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −1.9 | 2:29am | 8:38am | 2:48pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.8 | 2:52pm | 8:44pm | 2:41am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 2:44am | 8:49am | 2:54pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 12:12am | 6:54am | 1:35pm | 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 49% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 2010
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.