The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2061
Highlights this month
- 1SunUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag 5.4). (2:45am)
- 1SunThe Moon passes Mars — 0.3° apart. (3:41pm)
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 7SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best evening apparition. (8:39pm)
- 15SunMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:41pm)
- 20FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:41am)
- 28SatThe Moon passes Mars — 0.6° apart. (10:04pm)
- 31TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:58am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Tue 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 12m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Fri 20 | 7:19am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:46pm | 5:46am |
| Tue 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonThu 5, 12:18am
- Last QuarterFri 13, 2:17am
- New MoonThu 19, 9:03pm
- First QuarterThu 26, 2:13pm
Apogee 6 May (406,200 km) · Perigee 19 May (356,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | 1.4 | 8:54am | 1:34pm | 6:14pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 8:35am | 1:23pm | 6:10pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | −0.6 | 2:56pm | 8:59pm | 3:06am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −1.7 | 10:28am | 3:11pm | 7:54pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 9:02am | 1:52pm | 6:42pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.4 | 4:28pm | 11:17pm | 6:10am | Evening |
| Neptune | Tau | 7.9 | 9:12am | 2:01pm | 6:51pm | 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 bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2061
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.