The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2185
Highlights this month
- 6FriEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 8SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (12:06am)
- 8SunThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.4° apart. (5:57pm)
- 11WedSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:07am)
- 17TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (6:45am)
- 26ThuMercury at greatest evening elongation (23° from the Sun, mag 0.4) — best evening apparition. (2:46pm)
- 27FriMars and Saturn in conjunction — 0.6° apart. (11:41pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 30m | 7:01pm | 5:32am |
| Tue 10 | 7:10am | 5:22pm | 10h 12m | 6:53pm | 5:39am |
| Fri 20 | 7:19am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Tue 31 | 7:27am | 5:08pm | 9h 41m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 7, 1:36am
- Full MoonSat 14, 10:25pm
- Last QuarterMon 23, 12:26am
- New MoonSun 29, 5:58pm
Perigee 1 May (358,300 km) · Apogee 16 May (406,200 km) · Perigee 29 May (356,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | −0.6 | 8:54am | 1:33pm | 6:12pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −4.1 | 3:34am | 9:29am | 3:23pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 0.5 | 1:47pm | 7:12pm | 12:39am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Oph | −2.3 | 6:53pm | 2:15am | 9:34am | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.6 | 2:00pm | 7:29pm | 1:03am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.9 | 5:04am | 10:33am | 4:02pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 2:11am | 8:24am | 2:38pm | 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 46% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — May 2185
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 14 October 2026.