The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2116
Highlights this month
- 4SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:36pm)
- 8WedThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (6:39am)
- 9ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (2:43am)
- 10FriNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 7.8). (11:59pm)
- 14TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:23pm)
- 16ThuVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:09pm)
- 18SatSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:58am)
- 23ThuLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 82% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 25SatMars and Jupiter in conjunction — 0.7° apart. (1:47pm)
- 27MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:51am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 39m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:27pm | 5:14am |
| Mon 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 54m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Thu 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 5, 11:38am
- New MoonMon 13, 1:23pm
- First QuarterMon 20, 5:20pm
- Full MoonMon 27, 12:42pm
Apogee 7 Apr (405,100 km) · Perigee 23 Apr (368,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 7.5 | 6:48am | 12:13pm | 5:39pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −4.5 | 9:37am | 2:13pm | 6:48pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cap | 0.9 | 1:42am | 8:33am | 3:24pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −1.9 | 2:13am | 8:55am | 3:36pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.4 | 6:57am | 12:32pm | 6:07pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.7 | 11:42am | 4:24pm | 9:07pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.8 | 5:41pm | 12:07am | 6:30am | All night |
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 82% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2116
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 7 September 2026.