The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 1976
Highlights this month
- 8FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (1:58am)
- 12TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (10:49am)
- 21ThuOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 25MonThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (11:49pm)
- 31SunUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:44am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Sun 10 | 5:42am | 6:33pm | 12h 51m | 8:04pm | 4:11am |
| Wed 20 | 5:28am | 6:42pm | 13h 15m | 8:17pm | 3:53am |
| Sun 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonFri 8, 2:57pm
- Last QuarterSat 16, 7:06pm
- New MoonSat 23, 3:14pm
- First QuarterSat 30, 7:59am
Apogee 11 Oct (406,200 km) · Perigee 24 Oct (356,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.0 | 5:07am | 11:12am | 5:18pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.7 | 7:00am | 2:07pm | 9:15pm | Evening |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 6:09am | 12:53pm | 7:37pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.5 | 9:36pm | 2:39am | 7:38am | Morning |
| Saturn | Cnc | 0.3 | 2:50am | 7:57am | 1:04pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.6 | 6:17am | 1:02pm | 7:47pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Oph | 8.0 | 8:15am | 3:27pm | 10:39pm | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Orionids — peaks 21 October, radiant in Orion (up to 20/hr). Also from Halley's Comet; Orion rides high after midnight from the south, giving a fair show. A thin 6% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 1976
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 23 August 2026.