The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2009
Highlights this month
- 6TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (12:23pm)
- 12MonThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (11:55am)
- 13TueJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:58pm)
- 21WedOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 10% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 27TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (5:13pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Sat 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Tue 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Sat 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSun 4, 5:17pm
- Last QuarterSun 11, 7:57pm
- New MoonSun 18, 4:30pm
- First QuarterMon 26, 11:47am
Perigee 13 Oct (369,100 km) · Apogee 26 Oct (404,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.0 | 6:09am | 12:16pm | 6:23pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.7 | 5:49am | 11:48am | 5:47pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 0.7 | 3:01am | 7:52am | 12:43pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.3 | 2:07pm | 9:03pm | 4:04am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 1.0 | 5:48am | 11:42am | 5:36pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 5:09pm | 11:21pm | 5:37am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 2:41pm | 9:29pm | 4:20am | 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 10% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 2009
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.