The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2171
Highlights this month
- 6MonEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 11SatMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:22pm)
- 16ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (9:22pm)
- 25SatNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:49pm)
- 28TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (1:25am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Fri 10 | 7:09am | 5:23pm | 10h 14m | 6:54pm | 5:39am |
| Mon 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 57m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Fri 31 | 7:27am | 5:09pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 5, 1:15pm
- First QuarterMon 13, 10:58am
- Full Moon SupermoonMon 20, 2:02am
- Last QuarterMon 27, 12:40am
Apogee 4 May (406,200 km) · Perigee 19 May (357,700 km) · Apogee 31 May (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | −1.9 | 7:39am | 12:35pm | 5:30pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 6:06am | 11:24am | 4:42pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Ari | 1.3 | 6:54am | 11:59am | 5:04pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −2.1 | 3:16pm | 9:26pm | 3:40am | Evening |
| Saturn | Aqr | 1.0 | 1:41am | 8:05am | 2:28pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 12:42am | 7:18am | 1:53pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 11:38pm | 6:30am | 1:18pm | 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 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 2171
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 October 2026.