The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2042
Highlights this month
- 7MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (1:05pm)
- 9WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (6:26pm)
- 16WedUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:29am)
- 23WedLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A thin 14% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 23WedSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.1). (4:48pm)
- 24ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best evening apparition. (11:17pm)
- 28MonThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (6:14am)
- 28MonNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:27am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 40m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Thu 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Wed 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSun 6, 1:16am
- Last QuarterSun 13, 9:20pm
- New MoonSun 20, 12:20pm
- First QuarterSun 27, 12:19pm
Apogee 4 Apr (406,200 km) · Perigee 19 Apr (358,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.9 | 8:13am | 1:21pm | 6:29pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 8:53am | 1:57pm | 7:01pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 0.3 | 2:49pm | 7:47pm | 12:47am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Lib | −2.2 | 7:34pm | 2:44am | 9:50am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.1 | 6:20pm | 12:59am | 7:33am | All night |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.5 | 2:30pm | 7:30pm | 12:34am | Evening |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.9 | 7:46am | 1:08pm | 6:31pm | Hidden |
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 thin 14% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — April 2042
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.