The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2016
Highlights this month
- 10SunUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:05am)
- 17SunMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:31pm)
- 18MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (1:30pm)
- 18MonMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.1) — best evening apparition. (11:51pm)
- 23SatLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 25MonThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (3:37pm)
- 26TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (5:43am)
- 29FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:33pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 39m | 8:40pm | 6:06am |
| Sun 10 | 6:42am | 5:59pm | 11h 17m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Wed 20 | 6:51am | 5:45pm | 10h 54m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Sat 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 1, 2:24am
- New MoonThu 7, 9:22pm
- First QuarterThu 14, 1:58pm
- Full MoonFri 22, 3:29pm
- Last QuarterSat 30, 1:36pm
Perigee 8 Apr (356,900 km) · Apogee 22 Apr (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.3 | 8:29am | 1:31pm | 6:33pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 5:37am | 11:30am | 5:23pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Oph | −1.0 | 7:58pm | 3:16am | 10:29am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.1 | 4:09pm | 9:47pm | 3:29am | Evening |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.1 | 8:30pm | 3:47am | 10:59am | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 6.0 | 6:25am | 12:03pm | 5:41pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 3:09am | 9:37am | 4:05pm | 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 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2016
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.