The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2078
Highlights this month
- 1SunUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:40pm)
- 1SunSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:03pm)
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 37% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 9MonThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (11:25am)
- 24TueThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (3:42am)
- 24TueMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:40pm)
- 27FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (3:46pm)
- 30MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (11:12pm)
- 31TueJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Ophiuchus (mag −2.4). (8:09pm)
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 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Fri 20 | 7:18am | 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
- Last QuarterThu 5, 12:40pm
- New MoonThu 12, 3:58am
- First QuarterThu 19, 2:16am
- Full MoonFri 27, 6:27am
Perigee 11 May (357,400 km) · Apogee 24 May (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −1.2 | 6:18am | 11:33am | 4:49pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.8 | 4:09am | 9:56am | 3:42pm | Morning |
| Mars | Vir | −1.5 | 4:02pm | 10:40pm | 5:24am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Oph | −2.4 | 6:15pm | 1:33am | 8:47am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.3 | 9:07pm | 4:25am | 11:38am | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.7 | 9:29pm | 4:46am | 12:00pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.9 | 11:45am | 4:40pm | 9:34pm | 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 37% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 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.