The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2008
Highlights this month
- 2ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (8:48am)
- 7TueMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:48am)
- 7TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (7:11pm)
- 15WedMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:53pm)
- 21TueOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A 53% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 22WedMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best morning apparition. (8:28pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:55am | 6:24pm | 12h 29m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:10am |
| Mon 20 | 6:27am | 7:43pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Fri 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 7, 8:04pm
- Full MoonWed 15, 7:10am
- Last QuarterTue 21, 10:55pm
- New MoonWed 29, 10:14am
Apogee 6 Oct (405,100 km) · Perigee 17 Oct (363,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | 0.9 | 6:03am | 12:13pm | 6:22pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.8 | 8:06am | 3:16pm | 10:27pm | Evening |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 7:17am | 2:04pm | 8:52pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.0 | 11:26am | 6:47pm | 2:11am | Evening |
| Saturn | Leo | 0.9 | 5:18am | 10:59am | 4:39pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 4:47pm | 11:05pm | 5:26am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 2:29pm | 9:19pm | 4:12am | 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 53% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — October 2008
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.