The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2142
Highlights this month
- 3ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:09pm)
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 85% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 11FriThe Moon passes Mars — 0.7° apart. (5:39am)
- 18FriMars at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −2.0). (11:07pm)
- 19SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best morning apparition. (12:46am)
- 29TueMercury and Jupiter in conjunction — 2° apart. (3:31pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Thu 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:39am |
| Sun 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Thu 31 | 7:27am | 5:09pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 3, 5:12am
- Full MoonThu 10, 8:47am
- Last QuarterFri 18, 10:43am
- New MoonFri 25, 7:27pm
Apogee 16 May (405,100 km) · Perigee 28 May (363,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 0.7 | 5:04am | 10:41am | 4:18pm | Morning |
| Venus | Psc | −3.7 | 4:28am | 10:10am | 3:52pm | Morning |
| Mars | Lib | −1.9 | 5:22pm | 12:37am | 7:47am | All night |
| Jupiter | Ari | −1.9 | 6:10am | 11:26am | 4:42pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Psc | 1.1 | 2:04am | 8:22am | 2:40pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 3:55pm | 10:28pm | 5:05am | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.8 | 6:42pm | 2:00am | 9:14am | Morning |
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 85% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2142
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 16 September 2026.