The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2010
Highlights this month
- 1FriSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (10:49am)
- 8FriVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:17am)
- 10SunThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (4:19am)
- 10SunThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (11:33am)
- 17SunMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:47am)
- 21ThuOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29FriVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:08pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:27am |
| Sun 10 | 6:42am | 7:32pm | 12h 50m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Wed 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:17pm | 4:54am |
| Sun 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 1, 1:54pm
- New MoonFri 8, 5:45am
- First QuarterFri 15, 8:32am
- Full MoonSat 23, 12:39pm
- Last QuarterSat 30, 11:47pm
Perigee 7 Oct (359,500 km) · Apogee 19 Oct (405,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.4 | 6:37am | 1:02pm | 7:28pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −4.3 | 6:57am | 2:15pm | 9:33pm | Evening |
| Mars | Lib | 1.5 | 7:55am | 2:58pm | 10:02pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.7 | 5:18pm | 11:30pm | 5:46am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.8 | 6:17am | 12:24pm | 6:32pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 5:30pm | 11:37pm | 5:48am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 2:53pm | 9:38pm | 4:27am | 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 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2010
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.
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Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.