The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 2018
Highlights this month
- 5MonNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:19am)
- 7WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (8:01pm)
- 9FriJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:30pm)
- 10SatThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (12:20pm)
- 11SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (1:18pm)
- 16FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.3) — best evening apparition. (2:03am)
- 21WedAutumn equinox.
- 23FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:00am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:03am | 8:00pm | 12h 57m | 9:32pm | 5:31am |
| Sat 10 | 7:13am | 7:47pm | 12h 35m | 9:17pm | 5:42am |
| Tue 20 | 7:22am | 7:32pm | 12h 10m | 9:00pm | 5:54am |
| Sat 31 | 7:33am | 7:15pm | 11h 43m | 8:43pm | 6:05am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonFri 2, 11:49am
- Last QuarterFri 9, 10:18pm
- New MoonSun 18, 12:16am
- First QuarterSun 25, 2:42am
- Full MoonSat 31, 11:35pm
Apogee 11 Mar (405,000 km) · Perigee 27 Mar (368,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.4 | 8:52am | 2:33pm | 8:13pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 8:34am | 2:28pm | 8:21pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 0.6 | 12:20am | 7:43am | 3:06pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Lib | −2.0 | 10:12pm | 5:15am | 12:14pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 1:08am | 8:25am | 3:43pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 9:58am | 3:28pm | 8:59pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 6:29am | 12:53pm | 7:17pm | Hidden |
The solar system — March 2018
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.