The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 1988
Highlights this month
- 11TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:28pm)
- 20ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:22am)
- 21FriOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (10:34am)
- 27ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best morning apparition. (6:15am)
- 31MonMars is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:19am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 29m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Mon 10 | 5:42am | 6:33pm | 12h 51m | 8:04pm | 4:10am |
| Thu 20 | 5:27am | 6:42pm | 13h 15m | 8:17pm | 3:53am |
| Sun 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterMon 3, 2:56am
- New MoonTue 11, 7:53am
- First QuarterTue 18, 11:06pm
- Full MoonTue 25, 2:35pm
Apogee 8 Oct (406,000 km) · Perigee 23 Oct (361,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | 3.5 | 5:15am | 11:35am | 5:55pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −3.9 | 4:03am | 9:41am | 3:19pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Psc | −2.3 | 4:41pm | 10:52pm | 5:06am | All night |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.5 | 10:02pm | 3:01am | 7:56am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 9:15am | 4:33pm | 11:52pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 9:11am | 4:34pm | 12:01am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 9:59am | 5:17pm | 12:38am | 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 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 1988
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 20 August 2026.