The Sky for the Month

The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 1985

Computed for The Briars, Mt Martha. Times are local (Melbourne).

3ThuJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:25pm)
16WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (10:53pm)
21MonOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
22TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (12:39am)

Date	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Astro. dark begins	ends
Tue 1	5:56am	6:24pm	12h 28m	7:54pm	4:27am
Thu 10	5:42am	6:32pm	12h 50m	8:04pm	4:11am
Sun 20	5:28am	6:42pm	13h 14m	8:17pm	3:54am
Wed 31	6:14am	7:54pm	13h 40m	9:32pm	4:36am

Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.

Apogee 3 Oct (405,900 km) · Perigee 15 Oct (357,800 km) · Apogee 30 Oct (406,200 km)

Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.

Planet	In	Mag	Rise	Transit	Set	Best
Mercury	Vir	−0.5	6:11am	1:02pm	7:53pm	Hidden
Venus	Vir	−3.7	4:45am	10:42am	4:38pm	Hidden
Mars	Leo	1.8	4:30am	10:19am	4:08pm	Hidden
Jupiter	Cap	−2.2	12:18pm	7:24pm	2:34am	Evening
Saturn	Lib	0.5	7:23am	2:23pm	9:23pm	Evening
Uranus	Oph	5.7	8:21am	3:40pm	10:59pm	Evening
Neptune	Sgr	7.9	9:32am	4:50pm	12:11am	Evening

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 55% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.

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.

Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 21 August 2026.