The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2071
Highlights this month
- 2ThuUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:57am)
- 7TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:59pm)
- 15WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.8° apart. (7:18am)
- 18SatSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.1). (5:48pm)
- 23ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (27° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (10:44am)
- 23ThuLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A 43% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 27MonThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (3:24am)
- 28TueThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (11:05am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 40m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Thu 30 | 7:00am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonWed 1, 2:05am
- First QuarterTue 7, 11:21pm
- Full MoonTue 14, 11:59pm
- Last QuarterWed 22, 10:51pm
- New MoonThu 30, 12:34pm
Perigee 7 Apr (369,900 km) · Apogee 21 Apr (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.7 | 4:40am | 10:48am | 4:55pm | Morning |
| Venus | Tau | −4.0 | 10:24am | 3:07pm | 7:50pm | Evening |
| Mars | Aqr | 1.1 | 3:27am | 9:53am | 4:18pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Ari | −1.9 | 7:52am | 1:11pm | 6:30pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.1 | 6:06pm | 12:39am | 7:07am | All night |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.6 | 9:11pm | 4:38am | 12:01pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.9 | 12:44pm | 5:31pm | 10:19pm | 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 43% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — April 2071
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 19 August 2026.