The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2017
Highlights this month
- 1SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.1) — best evening apparition. (9:09pm)
- 6ThuSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:37pm)
- 8SatJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag −2.3). (7:26am)
- 10MonMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:24am)
- 11TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (8:45am)
- 13ThuVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:19am)
- 14FriUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:03pm)
- 17MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (4:37am)
- 20ThuMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:51pm)
- 23SunLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A thin 14% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 24MonThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (7:00am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 39m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Mon 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Thu 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Sun 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 4, 4:42am
- Full MoonTue 11, 4:11pm
- Last QuarterWed 19, 7:56pm
- New MoonWed 26, 10:19pm
Apogee 15 Apr (405,700 km) · Perigee 28 Apr (359,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 4.3 | 7:35am | 12:48pm | 6:00pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.5 | 4:35am | 10:28am | 4:21pm | Morning |
| Mars | Tau | 1.5 | 9:21am | 2:18pm | 7:16pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −2.3 | 5:32pm | 11:55pm | 6:13am | All night |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.2 | 9:17pm | 4:37am | 11:54am | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 6.0 | 6:44am | 12:18pm | 5:51pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 3:21am | 9:46am | 4:11pm | 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 thin 14% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — April 2017
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.