The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2102
Highlights this month
- 1MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:53pm)
- 6SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (8:14am)
- 6SatEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 8MonSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −0.0). (4:21pm)
- 13SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:59pm)
- 23TueThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (12:45am)
- 29MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best morning apparition. (12:27am)
- 31WedNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:54am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:31am |
| Wed 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:38am |
| Sat 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Wed 31 | 7:26am | 5:09pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 50 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonWed 3, 11:43am
- Last QuarterWed 10, 4:33am
- New MoonWed 17, 12:30pm
- First QuarterThu 25, 4:23pm
Perigee 6 May (365,700 km) · Apogee 22 May (405,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 1.9 | 5:37am | 11:05am | 4:33pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.8 | 4:15am | 10:01am | 3:46pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | 1.4 | 12:04pm | 4:52pm | 9:40pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Oph | −2.3 | 6:57pm | 2:20am | 9:39am | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | −0.0 | 5:00pm | 11:48pm | 6:41am | All night |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.9 | 5:21am | 10:47am | 4:12pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Leo | 7.9 | 2:25pm | 8:10pm | 1:59am | 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 bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2102
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.