The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2078
Highlights this month
- 3SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (12:23pm)
- 6WedNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:19am)
- 6WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (11:21am)
- 9SatThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (5:29pm)
- 10SunThe Moon passes Mercury — 3° apart. (10:10pm)
- 15FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (28° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best morning apparition. (12:24pm)
- 23SatLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 87% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 27WedMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag −1.7). (11:19am)
- 27WedThe Moon passes Mars — 0.0° apart. (1:59pm)
- 30SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (3:39pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 39m | 8:40pm | 6:06am |
| Sun 10 | 6:42am | 5:59pm | 11h 17m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Wed 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 54m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Sat 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterWed 6, 12:54am
- New MoonTue 12, 7:49pm
- First QuarterTue 19, 1:18pm
- Full MoonWed 27, 2:20pm
Perigee 12 Apr (356,800 km) · Apogee 26 Apr (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.3 | 4:29am | 10:41am | 4:53pm | Morning |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.0 | 3:17am | 9:43am | 4:10pm | Morning |
| Mars | Lib | −1.4 | 6:34pm | 1:25am | 8:11am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Oph | −2.2 | 8:22pm | 3:42am | 10:57am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 11:05pm | 6:22am | 1:36pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 11:27pm | 6:44am | 1:57pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.9 | 1:42pm | 6:36pm | 11:30pm | 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 87% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2078
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 21 August 2026.