The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — September 2018
Highlights this month
- 6ThuSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:30pm)
- 8SatNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aquarius (mag 7.8). (4:37am)
- 14FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (2:45pm)
- 18TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (2:44am)
- 20ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (3:24pm)
- 21FriMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:38am)
- 23SunSpring equinox.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 6:43am | 5:58pm | 11h 15m | 7:26pm | 5:15am |
| Mon 10 | 6:29am | 6:06pm | 11h 37m | 7:33pm | 5:01am |
| Thu 20 | 6:13am | 6:14pm | 12h 01m | 7:42pm | 4:45am |
| Sun 30 | 5:57am | 6:23pm | 12h 26m | 7:53pm | 4:28am |
Days lengthen by about 70 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterMon 3, 12:45pm
- New MoonMon 10, 4:00am
- First QuarterMon 17, 9:17am
- Full MoonTue 25, 12:59pm
Perigee 8 Sep (361,300 km) · Apogee 20 Sep (405,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Leo | −1.6 | 6:17am | 11:59am | 5:41pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.6 | 7:43am | 2:43pm | 9:43pm | Evening |
| Mars | Cap | −1.7 | 1:32pm | 9:00pm | 4:30am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Lib | −1.6 | 8:54am | 3:52pm | 10:49pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.3 | 11:35am | 6:54pm | 2:17am | Evening |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 9:17pm | 2:46am | 8:10am | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 5:24pm | 11:48pm | 6:15am | All night |
The solar system — September 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.