The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2186
Highlights this month
- 6SatEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A bright 93% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 8MonMercury at greatest evening elongation (21° from the Sun, mag 0.3) — best evening apparition. (1:01pm)
- 10WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.7° apart. (12:58am)
- 14SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:40pm)
- 20SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:28pm)
- 22MonThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (5:45pm)
- 25ThuSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:58am)
- 31WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:28pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 7:02am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Wed 10 | 7:10am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:54pm | 5:39am |
| Sat 20 | 7:18am | 5:14pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Wed 31 | 7:27am | 5:09pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonThu 4, 12:46am
- Last QuarterFri 12, 3:26am
- New MoonFri 19, 10:31am
- First QuarterFri 26, 1:54am
Apogee 9 May (405,200 km) · Perigee 21 May (362,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Tau | 1.3 | 8:56am | 1:35pm | 6:14pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Gem | −4.0 | 10:35am | 3:10pm | 7:45pm | Evening |
| Mars | Ari | 1.3 | 6:25am | 11:36am | 4:47pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.2 | 9:29pm | 4:45am | 11:57am | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.8 | 2:35pm | 8:20pm | 2:09am | Evening |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.9 | 5:24am | 10:48am | 4:13pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 2:22am | 8:33am | 2:44pm | 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 93% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — May 2186
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.