The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2019
Highlights this month
- 2TueThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (5:15pm)
- 3WedThe Moon passes Mercury — 3° apart. (12:49pm)
- 9TueThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (6:50pm)
- 11ThuJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:05am)
- 12FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (5:25am)
- 17WedMercury and Venus in conjunction — 4° apart. (4:45am)
- 23TueUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:49am)
- 23TueLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 83% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (10:02pm)
- 26FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.4° apart. (12:31am)
- 30TueSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:32am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:33am | 7:14pm | 11h 41m | 8:42pm | 6:06am |
| Wed 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Sat 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Tue 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonFri 5, 7:57pm
- First QuarterSat 13, 5:10am
- Full MoonFri 19, 9:08pm
- Last QuarterSat 27, 8:23am
Apogee 1 Apr (405,700 km) · Perigee 17 Apr (364,000 km) · Apogee 29 Apr (405,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.2 | 4:29am | 10:42am | 4:55pm | Morning |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 4:09am | 10:25am | 4:41pm | Morning |
| Mars | Tau | 1.6 | 10:34am | 3:20pm | 8:05pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Oph | −2.1 | 9:02pm | 4:25am | 11:44am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 10:58pm | 6:17am | 1:31pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.9 | 7:24am | 12:48pm | 6:13pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 3:44am | 10:04am | 4:24pm | 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 bright 83% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2019
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.