The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — May 2187
Highlights this month
- 1TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (9:13am)
- 2WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (6:32am)
- 6SunEta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 50/hr). A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 11FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:26pm)
- 13SunMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:03pm)
- 18FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (7:28pm)
- 24ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:20am)
- 29TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (11:54pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:01am | 5:32pm | 10h 31m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
| Thu 10 | 7:10am | 5:23pm | 10h 13m | 6:54pm | 5:39am |
| Sun 20 | 7:18am | 5:15pm | 9h 56m | 6:47pm | 5:46am |
| Thu 31 | 7:27am | 5:09pm | 9h 42m | 6:42pm | 5:53am |
Days shorten by about 49 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonTue 8, 10:29pm
- First QuarterTue 15, 10:47pm
- Full MoonTue 22, 8:31pm
- Last QuarterWed 30, 6:05pm
Apogee 2 May (404,900 km) · Perigee 16 May (369,800 km) · Apogee 29 May (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 6.0 | 6:46am | 11:55am | 5:03pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Ari | −3.7 | 6:12am | 11:29am | 4:45pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | −0.5 | 2:53pm | 8:52pm | 2:55am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.0 | 12:16am | 6:57am | 1:39pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.7 | 3:09pm | 9:10pm | 3:14am | Evening |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.9 | 5:44am | 11:04am | 4:24pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 2:34am | 8:42am | 2:50pm | 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 thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — May 2187
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 15 October 2026.
