The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2014
Highlights this month
- 6TueEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 42% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 11SunSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −0.1). (4:02am)
- 11SunThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (9:51pm)
- 14WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.6° apart. (10:09pm)
- 21WedMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:32pm)
- 25SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (23° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (5:07pm)
- 26MonThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (12:40am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Sat 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Tue 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sat 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterWed 7, 1:14pm
- Full MoonThu 15, 5:20am
- Last QuarterWed 21, 11:04pm
- New MoonThu 29, 4:43am
Apogee 6 May (404,800 km) · Perigee 18 May (367,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | −0.5 | 8:57am | 1:36pm | 6:15pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.9 | 3:51am | 9:42am | 3:33pm | Morning |
| Mars | Vir | −0.9 | 3:12pm | 9:23pm | 3:37am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −1.7 | 11:17am | 4:03pm | 8:49pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Lib | −0.0 | 5:07pm | 12:03am | 6:54am | All night |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 3:59am | 9:45am | 3:30pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 12:55am | 7:27am | 1:59pm | 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 42% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 2014
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.