The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2106
Highlights this month
- 6TueMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:36am)
- 11SunJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:31pm)
- 16FriSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:27am)
- 23FriLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 24SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (10:02am)
- 28WedMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:00pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:33am | 7:14pm | 11h 41m | 8:42pm | 6:05am |
| Sat 10 | 6:42am | 6:01pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Tue 20 | 6:51am | 5:47pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Fri 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 4, 6:05pm
- First QuarterSun 11, 12:46pm
- Full MoonSun 18, 6:23pm
- Last QuarterMon 26, 9:23pm
Perigee 8 Apr (367,300 km) · Apogee 24 Apr (405,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.8 | 5:35am | 11:31am | 5:27pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 9:15am | 2:14pm | 7:13pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | −0.1 | 3:27pm | 8:38pm | 1:51am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −1.9 | 6:34am | 12:12pm | 5:50pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.3 | 9:57pm | 5:18am | 12:35pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.9 | 8:27am | 1:38pm | 6:48pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.8 | 4:47pm | 10:43pm | 4:43am | 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 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2106
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 4 September 2026.