The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2101
Highlights this month
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 9MonJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −2.4). (2:56pm)
- 10TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:59pm)
- 21SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:59am)
- 22SunThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (8:00pm)
- 28SatNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:23pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Tue 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:39am |
| Fri 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Tue 31 | 7:26am | 5:09pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 6, 11:02pm
- Full Moon SupermoonFri 13, 8:20pm
- Last QuarterFri 20, 11:57am
- New MoonSat 28, 10:52am
Apogee 1 May (406,000 km) · Perigee 14 May (357,300 km) · Apogee 28 May (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | 4.7 | 8:02am | 12:52pm | 5:42pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 8:49am | 1:34pm | 6:20pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | 0.8 | 2:13am | 8:28am | 2:44pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Lib | −2.3 | 4:56pm | 11:49pm | 6:48am | All night |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.1 | 4:23pm | 10:58pm | 5:37am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 5:01am | 10:31am | 4:02pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.9 | 2:18pm | 8:01pm | 1:47am | 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 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 2101
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 2 September 2026.