The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2016
Highlights this month
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 10TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:08am)
- 10TueJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:58am)
- 15SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (6:24pm)
- 22SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:55am)
- 22SunMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Scorpius (mag −2.1). (9:18pm)
- 23MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (8:19am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Tue 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Fri 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Tue 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 7, 5:28am
- First QuarterSat 14, 3:05am
- Full MoonSun 22, 7:21am
- Last QuarterSun 29, 10:18pm
Perigee 6 May (357,300 km) · Apogee 19 May (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 4.9 | 6:32am | 11:44am | 4:57pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.8 | 6:43am | 11:52am | 5:01pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sco | −1.9 | 5:38pm | 12:58am | 8:13am | All night |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.9 | 2:09pm | 7:46pm | 1:27am | Evening |
| Saturn | Oph | −0.0 | 6:27pm | 1:42am | 8:54am | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 4:35am | 10:11am | 3:47pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 1:15am | 7:42am | 2:09pm | 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 thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.