The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2012
Highlights this month
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 13SunJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:17pm)
- 16WedVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:32am)
- 27SunMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:08pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Thu 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Sun 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Thu 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full Moon SupermoonSun 6, 1:37pm
- Last QuarterSun 13, 7:46am
- New MoonMon 21, 9:49am
- First QuarterTue 29, 6:24am
Perigee 6 May (356,700 km) · Apogee 20 May (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −1.0 | 6:02am | 11:22am | 4:42pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −4.5 | 9:53am | 2:20pm | 6:46pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 0.3 | 1:59pm | 7:30pm | 1:04am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Tau | −1.9 | 7:09am | 12:12pm | 5:16pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.3 | 3:55pm | 10:18pm | 4:46am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 3:20am | 9:15am | 3:10pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 12:32am | 7:09am | 1:45pm | 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 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 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.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.