The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2161
Highlights this month
- 2SatNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:02am)
- 5TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:23am)
- 6WedEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 10SunSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −0.0). (2:50am)
- 10SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (4:48am)
- 11MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (7:14pm)
- 17SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:35pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 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
- First QuarterSun 3, 10:40am
- Full MoonSun 10, 2:23am
- Last QuarterSun 17, 1:35pm
- New MoonMon 25, 2:07pm
Perigee 7 May (364,100 km) · Apogee 19 May (405,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 2.8 | 5:58am | 11:19am | 4:41pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.1 | 3:30am | 9:26am | 3:21pm | Morning |
| Mars | Cap | −0.2 | 11:10pm | 6:11am | 1:11pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Oph | −2.4 | 6:16pm | 1:34am | 8:48am | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | −0.0 | 5:04pm | 11:59pm | 6:49am | All night |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.7 | 9:15pm | 4:34am | 11:49am | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 9:48pm | 4:59am | 12:06pm | 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 84% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2161
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 2 October 2026.