The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 1989
Highlights this month
- 3TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:50pm)
- 4WedThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (8:52am)
- 7SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (10:25pm)
- 10TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (9:40pm)
- 20FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (4:17pm)
- 21SatOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A 53% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 29SunJupiter is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (11:22am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Tue 10 | 5:42am | 6:32pm | 12h 50m | 8:04pm | 4:11am |
| Fri 20 | 5:28am | 6:42pm | 13h 14m | 8:17pm | 3:54am |
| Mon 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterSun 8, 10:55am
- Full Moon SupermoonSun 15, 6:35am
- Last QuarterSat 21, 11:17pm
- New MoonMon 30, 2:31am
Apogee 2 Oct (406,200 km) · Perigee 15 Oct (356,700 km) · Apogee 29 Oct (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.9 | 5:03am | 11:07am | 5:10pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −4.2 | 7:39am | 3:05pm | 10:32pm | Evening |
| Mars | Vir | 1.7 | 5:27am | 11:48am | 6:09pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.1 | 12:47am | 5:32am | 10:17am | Morning |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.4 | 10:01am | 5:20pm | 12:44am | Evening |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 9:30am | 4:53pm | 12:20am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 10:10am | 5:27pm | 12:48am | 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 53% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — October 1989
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 19 August 2026.