The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2040
Highlights this month
- 1TueMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:00am)
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 24% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 17ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (10:39pm)
- 19SatJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:33am)
- 21MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (1:30pm)
- 22TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (2:30pm)
- 30WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (23° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (10:55pm)
- 31ThuVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:09pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Thu 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 12m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Sun 20 | 7:19am | 5:14pm | 9h 55m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Thu 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 4, 6:01am
- New MoonFri 11, 1:31pm
- First QuarterSat 19, 5:03pm
- Full MoonSat 26, 9:50pm
Apogee 16 May (405,400 km) · Perigee 28 May (360,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | −0.9 | 8:40am | 1:22pm | 6:04pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.8 | 6:52am | 11:59am | 5:06pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.3 | 12:28pm | 5:23pm | 10:18pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −2.0 | 2:30pm | 8:17pm | 2:09am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.6 | 3:08pm | 9:09pm | 3:15am | Evening |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.6 | 12:01pm | 4:55pm | 9:48pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.9 | 5:30am | 10:56am | 4:22pm | Hidden |
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 thin 24% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 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.