The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2012
Highlights this month
- 3TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:44pm)
- 15SunMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:21pm)
- 16MonSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.1). (4:10am)
- 19ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (3:19am)
- 23MonLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:34am | 6:13pm | 11h 39m | 7:40pm | 5:06am |
| Tue 10 | 6:42am | 5:59pm | 11h 17m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Fri 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 54m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Mon 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full Moon SupermoonSat 7, 5:23am
- Last QuarterFri 13, 8:49pm
- New MoonSat 21, 5:18pm
- First QuarterSun 29, 8:05pm
Perigee 8 Apr (358,400 km) · Apogee 23 Apr (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.5 | 4:32am | 10:43am | 4:53pm | Morning |
| Venus | Tau | −4.5 | 10:43am | 3:15pm | 7:47pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | −0.4 | 3:49pm | 9:10pm | 2:35am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Ari | −1.8 | 8:32am | 1:42pm | 6:52pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.1 | 5:59pm | 12:29am | 6:54am | All night |
| Uranus | Psc | 6.0 | 5:11am | 11:08am | 5:04pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 2:27am | 9:04am | 3:42pm | 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 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — April 2012
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.