The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2174
Highlights this month
- 6WedSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:46pm)
- 17SunMercury at greatest evening elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.1) — best evening apparition. (11:36pm)
- 23SatLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A bright 65% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 24SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (1:28am)
- 25MonMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:04pm)
- 28ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:08am)
- 29FriThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (4:47am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 7:34am | 7:13pm | 11h 40m | 8:41pm | 6:06am |
| Sun 10 | 6:42am | 6:00pm | 11h 18m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Wed 20 | 6:51am | 5:46pm | 10h 55m | 7:14pm | 5:23am |
| Sat 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 33m | 7:03pm | 5:31am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 2, 9:51am
- First QuarterSat 9, 12:45pm
- Full MoonSun 17, 5:09pm
- Last QuarterMon 25, 1:31am
Apogee 12 Apr (405,600 km) · Perigee 28 Apr (364,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | −0.3 | 8:29am | 1:31pm | 6:33pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −3.8 | 3:41am | 10:03am | 4:24pm | Morning |
| Mars | Oph | −0.8 | 8:22pm | 3:43am | 11:01am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.0 | 11:00pm | 6:19am | 1:35pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.6 | 6:09am | 11:56am | 5:42pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Aqr | 6.0 | 3:31am | 9:54am | 4:16pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 2:09am | 8:50am | 3:32pm | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Lyrids — peaks 23 April, radiant in Lyra (up to 18/hr). A modest shower; the radiant is low in the north-east before dawn from Victoria. A bright 65% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — April 2174
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 8 October 2026.