The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 1979
Highlights this month
- 15MonThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (4:57am)
- 17WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (12:38am)
- 21SunOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 30TueMercury at greatest evening elongation (24° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best evening apparition. (3:06am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:57am | 6:23pm | 12h 27m | 7:53pm | 4:27am |
| Wed 10 | 5:43am | 6:32pm | 12h 49m | 8:03pm | 4:12am |
| Sat 20 | 5:29am | 6:42pm | 13h 13m | 8:16pm | 3:55am |
| Tue 31 | 6:14am | 7:53pm | 13h 39m | 9:32pm | 4:37am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSat 6, 5:36am
- Last QuarterSat 13, 7:23am
- New MoonSun 21, 12:27pm
- First QuarterMon 29, 12:09am
Perigee 5 Oct (359,400 km) · Apogee 17 Oct (405,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Lib | −0.2 | 6:23am | 1:22pm | 8:21pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.7 | 6:15am | 12:58pm | 7:42pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.1 | 2:45am | 7:46am | 12:48pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.6 | 3:43am | 9:09am | 2:35pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Leo | 1.0 | 4:34am | 10:20am | 4:05pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Lib | 5.7 | 6:57am | 1:56pm | 8:55pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 8:42am | 3:57pm | 11:11pm | 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 0% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 1979
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 23 August 2026.