The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2013
Highlights this month
- 1MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (8:49am)
- 15MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (4:42am)
- 18ThuMars in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:41am)
- 23TueLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 92% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 26FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (10:49am)
- 28SunSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag 0.0). (6:00pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 40m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Wed 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Sat 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Tue 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterWed 3, 3:38pm
- New MoonWed 10, 7:38pm
- First QuarterThu 18, 10:35pm
- Full MoonFri 26, 6:01am
Apogee 16 Apr (405,200 km) · Perigee 28 Apr (362,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.1 | 4:46am | 10:55am | 5:04pm | Morning |
| Venus | Ari | −3.8 | 7:08am | 12:38pm | 6:07pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 1.2 | 6:51am | 12:23pm | 5:55pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Tau | −1.8 | 10:50am | 3:38pm | 8:26pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.1 | 6:34pm | 1:19am | 7:59am | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 6.0 | 5:30am | 11:22am | 5:14pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 2:38am | 9:14am | 3:49pm | 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 92% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2013
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.