The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2001
Highlights this month
- 2TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:50am)
- 8MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.5° apart. (4:42am)
- 10WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (10:22am)
- 14SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:36am)
- 18ThuNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:40am)
- 21SunOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 22MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:09pm)
- 24WedThe Moon passes Mars — 0.1° apart. (6:14am)
- 30TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (19° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best morning apparition. (3:20am)
- 31WedUranus is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (11:59am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Wed 10 | 5:42am | 6:32pm | 12h 50m | 8:04pm | 4:11am |
| Sat 20 | 5:28am | 6:42pm | 13h 15m | 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.
The Moon
- Full MoonTue 2, 11:53pm
- Last QuarterWed 10, 2:22pm
- New MoonWed 17, 5:24am
- First QuarterWed 24, 1:06pm
Perigee 15 Oct (362,100 km) · Apogee 27 Oct (405,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | 6.7 | 5:26am | 11:55am | 6:24pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.7 | 4:48am | 10:46am | 4:44pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | −0.2 | 10:53am | 6:19pm | 1:47am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.1 | 1:05am | 5:52am | 10:38am | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.3 | 10:44pm | 3:41am | 8:34am | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 1:27pm | 8:18pm | 3:14am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 12:13pm | 7:17pm | 2:25am | 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 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 2001
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 July 2026.