The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2018
Highlights this month
- 2MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:49am)
- 2MonMars and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (9:26pm)
- 4WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (2:11am)
- 7SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (10:31pm)
- 8SunThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (4:10am)
- 14SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:58pm)
- 18WedSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:52am)
- 19ThuUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:36am)
- 23MonLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 54% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (4:16am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 40m | 7:41pm | 5:06am |
| Tue 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Fri 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Mon 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 8, 5:16pm
- New MoonMon 16, 12:05pm
- First QuarterMon 23, 7:49am
- Full MoonMon 30, 10:56am
Apogee 8 Apr (404,700 km) · Perigee 21 Apr (368,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 1.6 | 5:08am | 11:06am | 5:03pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 8:44am | 1:50pm | 6:56pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | 0.0 | 10:32pm | 5:55am | 1:18pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Lib | −2.3 | 7:04pm | 2:05am | 9:02am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.3 | 10:06pm | 5:28am | 12:45pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 7:04am | 12:33pm | 6:02pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 3:32am | 9:55am | 4:18pm | 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 54% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 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.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.