The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2026
Highlights this month
- 4SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (9:31am)
- 16ThuThe Moon passes Mercury — 5° apart. (12:28am)
- 20MonMars and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (7:42am)
- 20MonMercury and Saturn in conjunction — 0.5° apart. (9:02pm)
- 21TueMercury and Mars in conjunction — 2° apart. (8:30am)
- 23ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (9:15am)
- 23ThuLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 41% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 40m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Thu 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonThu 2, 1:15pm
- Last QuarterFri 10, 2:50pm
- New MoonFri 17, 9:55pm
- First QuarterFri 24, 12:34pm
Apogee 7 Apr (405,300 km) · Perigee 19 Apr (361,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.0 | 4:39am | 10:50am | 5:01pm | Morning |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 8:47am | 1:52pm | 6:58pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 1.2 | 5:03am | 11:03am | 5:04pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Gem | −1.9 | 1:14pm | 6:00pm | 10:45pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.8 | 5:18am | 11:17am | 5:16pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.8 | 9:39am | 2:36pm | 7:32pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 4:57am | 10:59am | 5:01pm | 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 41% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 2026
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.
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.