The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2003
Highlights this month
- 7TueThe Moon passes Mars — 1.0° apart. (1:39am)
- 17FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (11:32pm)
- 21TueOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 23% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 23ThuNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:11am)
- 25SatMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:44pm)
- 26SunSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:08am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 27m | 7:53pm | 4:27am |
| Fri 10 | 5:43am | 6:32pm | 12h 49m | 8:03pm | 4:12am |
| Mon 20 | 5:28am | 6:42pm | 13h 13m | 8:16pm | 3:54am |
| Fri 31 | 6:14am | 7:53pm | 13h 39m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterFri 3, 5:04am
- Full MoonFri 10, 5:28pm
- Last QuarterSat 18, 10:37pm
- New MoonSat 25, 10:57pm
Apogee 14 Oct (405,900 km) · Perigee 27 Oct (358,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.3 | 5:25am | 11:41am | 5:58pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.7 | 6:19am | 1:05pm | 7:51pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Aqr | −1.7 | 2:20pm | 9:07pm | 3:58am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.6 | 4:01am | 9:35am | 3:10pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Gem | −0.1 | 12:57am | 5:45am | 10:33am | Morning |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 2:10pm | 8:52pm | 3:38am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.9 | 12:37pm | 7:37pm | 2:41am | 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 2003
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.