The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2168
Highlights this month
- 1SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 1° apart. (12:18am)
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 9MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:27am)
- 11WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.7° apart. (8:00pm)
- 14SatThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (5:50pm)
- 18WedNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:11am)
- 23MonSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:23am)
- 24TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best morning apparition. (6:34am)
- 27FriUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:06pm)
- 28SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (6:54am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Tue 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 12m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Fri 20 | 7:19am | 5:14pm | 9h 55m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Tue 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 8, 2:53am
- First QuarterSat 14, 6:10pm
- Full MoonSun 22, 8:01am
- Last QuarterMon 30, 12:26pm
Perigee 9 May (361,700 km) · Apogee 25 May (405,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 1.1 | 5:17am | 10:50am | 4:22pm | Morning |
| Venus | Tau | −3.8 | 7:41am | 12:38pm | 5:35pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 0.9 | 1:14pm | 6:25pm | 11:36pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −1.7 | 10:59am | 3:43pm | 8:28pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Cap | 0.5 | 10:46pm | 5:49am | 12:49pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 11:37pm | 6:30am | 1:18pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 11:02pm | 6:01am | 12:55pm | 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 thin 3% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 2168
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 6 October 2026.