The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2000
Highlights this month
- 6FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (26° from the Sun, mag −0.0) — best evening apparition. (9:03pm)
- 15SunNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:58pm)
- 16MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (5:26pm)
- 17TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (11:56am)
- 19ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:47am)
- 21SatOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A 40% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 27FriUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:20am)
- 30MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (1:03pm)
- 30MonThe Moon passes Venus — 4° apart. (9:18pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 6:55am | 7:24pm | 12h 29m | 8:54pm | 5:26am |
| Mon 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:10am |
| Thu 20 | 6:27am | 7:43pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Mon 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 5, 10:04pm
- Full MoonFri 13, 8:01pm
- Last QuarterFri 20, 7:00pm
- New MoonFri 27, 6:57pm
Apogee 6 Oct (404,800 km) · Perigee 20 Oct (369,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Lib | 0.2 | 7:23am | 2:30pm | 9:38pm | Evening |
| Venus | Lib | −3.8 | 8:05am | 3:14pm | 10:24pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | 1.8 | 5:18am | 11:01am | 4:44pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.4 | 11:28pm | 4:23am | 9:15am | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.3 | 10:32pm | 3:39am | 8:43am | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 2:06pm | 9:01pm | 4:01am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 1:02pm | 8:07pm | 3:17am | 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 40% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — October 2000
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 15 August 2026.