The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2087
Highlights this month
- 5MonJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:59pm)
- 6TueEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 17% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 13TueMercury at greatest evening elongation (22° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best evening apparition. (11:43pm)
- 17SatVenus at greatest evening elongation (45° from the Sun, mag −4.3) — best evening apparition. (2:14am)
- 26MonMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:48pm)
- 30FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (7:15am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Sat 10 | 7:10am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Tue 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sat 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 3, 3:54am
- First QuarterFri 9, 11:08pm
- Full MoonSun 18, 1:58am
- Last QuarterSun 25, 8:52pm
Perigee 2 May (356,700 km) · Apogee 16 May (406,200 km) · Perigee 31 May (358,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | 0.5 | 9:08am | 1:45pm | 6:22pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −4.3 | 11:00am | 3:32pm | 8:04pm | Evening |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.3 | 12:22pm | 5:14pm | 10:07pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.9 | 1:59pm | 7:31pm | 1:07am | Evening |
| Saturn | Ari | 0.3 | 5:40am | 11:06am | 4:31pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 12:35am | 7:12am | 1:49pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cnc | 7.9 | 12:51pm | 6:01pm | 11:10pm | 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 thin 17% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 2087
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 28 August 2026.