The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2170
Highlights this month
- 6SunJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:15am)
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 66% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 19SatThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (6:58pm)
- 23WedNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:31am)
- 24ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 5° apart. (5:46pm)
- 27SunMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:07am)
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 | 7:10am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:54pm | 5:39am |
| Sun 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 56m | 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
- Full MoonTue 1, 1:36am
- Last QuarterTue 8, 8:18am
- New MoonWed 16, 11:04am
- First QuarterWed 23, 5:28pm
- Full MoonWed 30, 10:54am
Apogee 11 May (405,400 km) · Perigee 26 May (366,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −1.0 | 6:05am | 11:24am | 4:44pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −3.9 | 10:31am | 3:07pm | 7:42pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | 0.1 | 2:10pm | 7:46pm | 1:25am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.9 | 1:59pm | 7:32pm | 1:08am | Evening |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.9 | 12:45am | 7:21am | 1:57pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 12:22am | 7:02am | 1:42pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 11:26pm | 6:20am | 1:10pm | 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 66% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2170
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 7 October 2026.