The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2070
Highlights this month
- 3ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:21pm)
- 6SunSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.2). (1:09am)
- 8TueThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (5:11am)
- 13SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:10pm)
- 23WedLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (3:03am)
- 26SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:31am)
- 29TueMercury and Jupiter in conjunction — 4° apart. (12:48pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 39m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Thu 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 17m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Sun 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 54m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Wed 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 4, 8:26am
- New MoonFri 11, 12:33pm
- First QuarterFri 18, 3:29am
- Full MoonFri 25, 7:34pm
Apogee 1 Apr (405,400 km) · Perigee 13 Apr (360,900 km) · Apogee 28 Apr (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 6.8 | 6:37am | 12:05pm | 5:34pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.0 | 3:15am | 9:42am | 4:09pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | 1.2 | 12:45pm | 5:22pm | 9:59pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −1.9 | 5:34am | 11:26am | 5:18pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.3 | 5:31pm | 11:44pm | 6:02am | Evening |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.6 | 8:52pm | 4:18am | 11:40am | Morning |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.9 | 12:34pm | 5:21pm | 10:08pm | 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 bright 96% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2070
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 18 August 2026.