The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2071
Highlights this month
- 3SunJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:02am)
- 6WedEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 44% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 12TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 1.0° apart. (10:54am)
- 21ThuVenus at greatest evening elongation (45° from the Sun, mag −4.3) — best evening apparition. (6:46pm)
- 26TueThe Moon passes Mars — 0.4° apart. (5:06am)
- 31SunMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:44pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Sun 10 | 7:10am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Wed 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sun 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 7, 5:08am
- Full MoonThu 14, 1:26pm
- Last QuarterFri 22, 4:16pm
- New MoonFri 29, 9:21pm
Perigee 3 May (365,900 km) · Apogee 19 May (405,400 km) · Perigee 31 May (360,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.6 | 5:43am | 11:09am | 4:34pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −4.3 | 10:58am | 3:31pm | 8:04pm | Evening |
| Mars | Psc | 1.1 | 3:23am | 9:19am | 3:16pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Ari | −1.9 | 6:30am | 11:41am | 4:53pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.3 | 4:02pm | 10:29pm | 4:59am | Evening |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.6 | 7:11pm | 2:37am | 10:00am | Morning |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.9 | 10:48am | 3:36pm | 8:24pm | Evening |
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 44% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 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.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 19 August 2026.