The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2056
Highlights this month
- 6SatEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 53% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 6SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (12:36pm)
- 11ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (11:53am)
- 11ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:09pm)
- 11ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (10:45pm)
- 19FriMars and Saturn in conjunction — 1° apart. (1:09pm)
- 26FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best morning apparition. (6:20pm)
- 26FriVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:46pm)
- 30TueJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:50am)
- 30TueNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:13am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:02am | 5:31pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Wed 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 12m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Sat 20 | 7:19am | 5:14pm | 9h 55m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Wed 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 48 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSat 6, 11:35pm
- New MoonMon 15, 2:08am
- First QuarterMon 22, 9:55pm
- Full MoonMon 29, 11:59am
Apogee 13 May (406,200 km) · Perigee 28 May (358,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 1.5 | 5:27am | 10:57am | 4:27pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.8 | 6:59am | 12:04pm | 5:10pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 1.1 | 3:55am | 9:43am | 3:30pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.1 | 10:39pm | 5:43am | 12:44pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.7 | 4:08am | 9:55am | 3:41pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 3:24pm | 9:44pm | 4:07am | Evening |
| Neptune | Tau | 7.9 | 8:20am | 1:15pm | 6:09pm | 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 53% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 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.