The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2056
Highlights this month
- 1SatSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:15pm)
- 6ThuUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 5.4). (9:13pm)
- 9SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.6° apart. (12:28am)
- 9SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.0) — best evening apparition. (2:55pm)
- 12WedThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (8:52am)
- 19WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:34am)
- 23SunLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 29SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:17am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 7:34am | 7:12pm | 11h 38m | 8:40pm | 6:06am |
| Mon 10 | 6:43am | 5:59pm | 11h 16m | 7:27pm | 5:15am |
| Thu 20 | 6:52am | 5:45pm | 10h 53m | 7:13pm | 5:23am |
| Sun 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 7, 11:36am
- New MoonSat 15, 9:53am
- First QuarterSun 23, 11:37am
- Full Moon SupermoonSun 30, 4:32am
Perigee 1 Apr (357,900 km) · Apogee 16 Apr (406,200 km) · Perigee 29 Apr (356,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 1.1 | 8:22am | 1:23pm | 6:23pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 5:52am | 11:41am | 5:29pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 1.2 | 4:00am | 10:16am | 4:32pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −1.9 | 12:27am | 7:30am | 2:33pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.6 | 5:49am | 11:40am | 5:30pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 5:25pm | 11:46pm | 6:11am | Evening |
| Neptune | Tau | 7.9 | 10:13am | 3:08pm | 8:04pm | Evening |
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 52% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 2056
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.