The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — March 2040
Highlights this month
- 1ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (1:21am)
- 1ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (10:36pm)
- 5MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:32am)
- 17SatJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag −2.3). (9:01am)
- 19MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best morning apparition. (5:56pm)
- 20TueAutumn equinox.
- 22ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 0.3° apart. (2:51am)
- 28WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (2:58am)
- 29ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (2:35am)
- 29ThuSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.3). (4:31am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:04am | 7:59pm | 12h 55m | 9:31pm | 5:32am |
| Sat 10 | 7:13am | 7:46pm | 12h 33m | 9:16pm | 5:43am |
| Tue 20 | 7:23am | 7:31pm | 12h 08m | 8:59pm | 5:54am |
| Sat 31 | 7:33am | 7:14pm | 11h 41m | 8:42pm | 6:05am |
Days shorten by about 75 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterTue 6, 6:24pm
- New MoonTue 13, 12:45pm
- First QuarterWed 21, 5:04am
- Full MoonThu 29, 2:17am
Perigee 9 Mar (366,900 km) · Apogee 21 Mar (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Aqr | 0.3 | 5:04am | 11:47am | 6:30pm | Morning |
| Venus | Aqr | −3.7 | 5:39am | 12:17pm | 6:54pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Gem | 0.4 | 3:54pm | 8:27pm | 1:03am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Vir | −2.3 | 7:43pm | 1:41am | 7:35am | All night |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.4 | 8:18pm | 2:28am | 8:35am | Morning |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.5 | 5:00pm | 9:52pm | 2:49am | Evening |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.9 | 10:19am | 3:48pm | 9:16pm | Hidden |
The solar system — March 2040
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.