The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2172
Highlights this month
- 4MonJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Libra (mag −2.3). (8:40am)
- 6WedEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 6WedThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (5:55pm)
- 8FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (6:02am)
- 10SunVenus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (8:38pm)
- 18MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (3:06am)
- 20WedThe Moon passes Venus — 2° apart. (5:10am)
- 23SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (22° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (12:10pm)
- 26TueMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:32pm)
- 27WedNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:11am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Sun 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 12m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Wed 20 | 7:19am | 5:14pm | 9h 55m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Sun 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 48 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 1, 6:13pm
- Full Moon SupermoonFri 8, 7:07pm
- Last QuarterFri 15, 9:34am
- New MoonSat 23, 5:48am
- First QuarterSun 31, 7:52am
Perigee 9 May (358,700 km) · Apogee 24 May (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | −0.4 | 9:02am | 1:40pm | 6:18pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.5 | 4:44am | 10:14am | 3:43pm | Morning |
| Mars | Vir | −1.0 | 3:25pm | 9:44pm | 4:07am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Lib | −2.3 | 4:38pm | 11:27pm | 6:20am | Evening |
| Saturn | Psc | 1.1 | 2:35am | 8:44am | 2:54pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.9 | 12:59am | 7:29am | 2:00pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 11:46pm | 6:35am | 1:21pm | 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 94% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2172
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.