The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2011
Highlights this month
- 4MonSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.2). (9:48am)
- 7ThuJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:43am)
- 10SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:29am)
- 22FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:58pm)
- 23SatLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 68% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:33am | 7:14pm | 11h 41m | 8:42pm | 6:05am |
| Sun 10 | 6:42am | 6:01pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Wed 20 | 6:51am | 5:47pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Sat 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 4, 12:34am
- First QuarterMon 11, 10:10pm
- Full Moon SupermoonMon 18, 12:43pm
- Last QuarterMon 25, 12:51pm
Apogee 2 Apr (406,200 km) · Perigee 17 Apr (357,900 km) · Apogee 30 Apr (405,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 4.5 | 6:06am | 11:45am | 5:24pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 4:07am | 10:23am | 4:39pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | 1.2 | 5:34am | 11:26am | 5:19pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Psc | −1.9 | 6:16am | 11:58am | 5:40pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.3 | 5:28pm | 11:38pm | 5:53am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 6.0 | 4:55am | 10:57am | 4:58pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 2:19am | 8:59am | 3:39pm | 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 bright 68% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2011
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.