The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2031
Highlights this month
- 3SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (6:20am)
- 4SunMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −1.8). (9:31pm)
- 6TueEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 7WedThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (8:11am)
- 10SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (9:31am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Sat 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Tue 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sat 31 | 7:26am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonWed 7, 1:43pm
- Last QuarterWed 14, 5:06am
- New MoonWed 21, 5:20pm
- First QuarterThu 29, 9:22pm
Perigee 9 May (363,000 km) · Apogee 25 May (405,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.1 | 5:13am | 10:47am | 4:22pm | Morning |
| Venus | Gem | −4.2 | 10:54am | 3:27pm | 8:00pm | Evening |
| Mars | Lib | −1.7 | 4:28pm | 11:17pm | 6:12am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.3 | 7:17pm | 2:41am | 10:01am | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 8:29am | 1:23pm | 6:17pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.8 | 9:28am | 2:11pm | 6:54pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 3:57am | 9:46am | 3:34pm | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Eta Aquariids — peaks 6 May, radiant in Aquarius (up to 50/hr). Debris of Halley's Comet and one of the best showers of the year from the south — swift meteors in the pre-dawn eastern sky. A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2031
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.