The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2181
Highlights this month
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 12SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:21am)
- 18FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (5:49pm)
- 27SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (25° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best morning apparition. (9:36am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Thu 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 13m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Sun 20 | 7:19am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Thu 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 6, 9:21am
- New MoonMon 14, 1:16am
- First QuarterTue 22, 4:55am
- Full Moon SupermoonTue 29, 2:50am
Perigee 1 May (361,000 km) · Apogee 17 May (406,000 km) · Perigee 29 May (357,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 1.6 | 5:29am | 10:59am | 4:28pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −3.7 | 9:18am | 2:00pm | 6:42pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.4 | 12:06pm | 4:56pm | 9:45pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −1.8 | 12:49pm | 5:55pm | 11:01pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Gem | 0.0 | 11:11am | 3:58pm | 8:46pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 6.0 | 3:49am | 9:37am | 3:24pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.9 | 1:28am | 7:52am | 2:15pm | 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 47% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 2181
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 11 October 2026.