The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 2188
Highlights this month
- 2WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.1) — best evening apparition. (8:47pm)
- 10ThuSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 0.2). (1:40am)
- 11FriMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:32am)
- 11FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (10:01pm)
- 17ThuVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:37am)
- 21MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:25pm)
- 23WedLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A thin 11% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 28MonUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:32pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:34am | 7:12pm | 11h 38m | 8:40pm | 6:06am |
| Thu 10 | 6:43am | 5:59pm | 11h 16m | 7:27pm | 5:15am |
| Sun 20 | 6:52am | 5:45pm | 10h 53m | 7:13pm | 5:23am |
| Wed 30 | 7:01am | 5:33pm | 10h 32m | 7:02pm | 5:32am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSat 5, 10:42am
- Full Moon SupermoonSat 12, 12:50am
- Last QuarterFri 18, 11:13pm
- New MoonSun 27, 3:08am
Perigee 11 Apr (357,300 km) · Apogee 23 Apr (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Ari | 3.8 | 7:43am | 12:52pm | 6:02pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Psc | −3.5 | 7:16am | 12:20pm | 5:24pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Ari | 1.4 | 7:47am | 1:05pm | 6:22pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Psc | −1.9 | 4:12am | 10:25am | 4:37pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.2 | 5:42pm | 12:04am | 6:23am | All night |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.9 | 7:50am | 1:07pm | 6:25pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.9 | 4:35am | 10:42am | 4:49pm | 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 thin 11% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — April 2188
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 16 October 2026.