The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 1983
Highlights this month
- 1SatMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (7:59pm)
- 10MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.3° apart. (9:34pm)
- 21FriOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 31MonMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:15am)
- 31MonSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:31pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:57am | 6:23pm | 12h 27m | 7:53pm | 4:27am |
| Mon 10 | 5:43am | 6:32pm | 12h 49m | 8:03pm | 4:12am |
| Thu 20 | 5:29am | 6:42pm | 13h 13m | 8:16pm | 3:55am |
| Sun 31 | 6:14am | 7:53pm | 13h 39m | 9:32pm | 4:37am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 6, 9:17pm
- First QuarterFri 14, 5:51am
- Full MoonSat 22, 7:57am
- Last QuarterSat 29, 1:38pm
Perigee 4 Oct (362,600 km) · Apogee 16 Oct (405,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.2 | 5:18am | 11:28am | 5:40pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −4.6 | 3:39am | 9:18am | 2:57pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 1.7 | 4:01am | 9:34am | 3:06pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Oph | −1.7 | 8:03am | 3:17pm | 10:31pm | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.5 | 6:25am | 1:03pm | 7:41pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sco | 5.7 | 7:52am | 3:06pm | 10:20pm | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 9:16am | 4:33pm | 11:50pm | 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 bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 1983
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 22 August 2026.