The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 1998
Highlights this month
- 4SunThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.2° apart. (7:37pm)
- 7WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (12:11pm)
- 11SunNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:45pm)
- 19MonUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (7:04am)
- 21WedOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 24SatSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag −0.2). (3:59am)
- 30FriVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:48pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:53pm | 4:27am |
| Sat 10 | 5:42am | 6:32pm | 12h 50m | 8:04pm | 4:11am |
| Tue 20 | 5:28am | 6:42pm | 13h 14m | 8:16pm | 3:54am |
| Fri 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full Moon SupermoonTue 6, 6:16am
- Last QuarterMon 12, 9:08pm
- New MoonTue 20, 8:14pm
- First QuarterWed 28, 10:50pm
Perigee 7 Oct (357,500 km) · Apogee 21 Oct (406,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.5 | 6:08am | 12:55pm | 7:43pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.8 | 5:32am | 11:53am | 6:15pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Leo | 1.7 | 3:48am | 9:14am | 2:41pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −2.6 | 3:49pm | 10:09pm | 4:32am | Evening |
| Saturn | Ari | −0.1 | 7:10pm | 12:47am | 6:20am | All night |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 12:27pm | 7:31pm | 2:38am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 11:42am | 6:51pm | 2:03am | 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 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 1998
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 16 August 2026.