The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2116
Highlights this month
- 6WedEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 36% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 6WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (8:04pm)
- 7ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (10:09am)
- 8FriVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:31am)
- 10SunThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (10:26pm)
- 12TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (7:24pm)
- 18MonMercury and Saturn in conjunction — 0.9° apart. (4:01am)
- 27WedVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (10:58pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Sun 10 | 7:10am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Wed 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sun 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterTue 5, 6:12am
- New MoonWed 13, 2:02am
- First QuarterTue 19, 10:26pm
- Full MoonWed 27, 12:21am
Apogee 5 May (404,700 km) · Perigee 18 May (369,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | 0.3 | 5:00am | 10:38am | 4:16pm | Morning |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 6:27am | 11:28am | 4:29pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Aqr | 0.6 | 1:35am | 8:00am | 2:25pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.0 | 12:38am | 7:15am | 1:51pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Ari | 0.4 | 5:17am | 10:48am | 4:19pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.7 | 9:50am | 2:32pm | 7:14pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Vir | 7.9 | 3:41pm | 10:03pm | 4:28am | 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 36% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 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.