The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2002
Highlights this month
- 2WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (7:05pm)
- 6SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:01pm)
- 10ThuVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:19pm)
- 11FriSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:14pm)
- 13SunMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best morning apparition. (5:24pm)
- 20SunNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:24pm)
- 21MonOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 26SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (6:33pm)
- 30WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (10:54am)
- 31ThuVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:04pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:53pm | 4:27am |
| Thu 10 | 5:42am | 6:32pm | 12h 50m | 8:04pm | 4:11am |
| Sun 20 | 5:28am | 6:42pm | 13h 14m | 8:16pm | 3:54am |
| Thu 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSun 6, 9:24pm
- First QuarterSun 13, 3:32pm
- Full MoonMon 21, 5:20pm
- Last QuarterTue 29, 4:34pm
Perigee 7 Oct (356,700 km) · Apogee 20 Oct (406,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.7 | 5:01am | 11:03am | 5:05pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −4.4 | 6:07am | 1:28pm | 8:49pm | Evening |
| Mars | Vir | 1.8 | 4:48am | 10:47am | 4:45pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Cnc | −1.8 | 2:48am | 7:54am | 1:01pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.2 | 11:52pm | 4:43am | 9:31am | Morning |
| Uranus | Cap | 5.8 | 1:48pm | 8:35pm | 3:26am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 12:25pm | 7:27pm | 2:33am | 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 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2002
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.