The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2013
Highlights this month
- 4FriUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag 5.8). (12:22am)
- 7MonThe Moon passes Mercury — 3° apart. (10:37am)
- 7MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (2:24pm)
- 8TueMercury and Saturn in conjunction — 5° apart. (6:33pm)
- 9WedThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (12:01am)
- 9WedMercury at greatest evening elongation (25° from the Sun, mag −0.0) — best evening apparition. (8:59pm)
- 21MonOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 95% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22TueMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:54am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 29m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Thu 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Sun 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Thu 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 5, 10:36am
- First QuarterSat 12, 10:00am
- Full MoonSat 19, 10:41am
- Last QuarterSun 27, 10:44am
Perigee 11 Oct (369,600 km) · Apogee 26 Oct (404,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Lib | 0.1 | 7:27am | 2:36pm | 9:44pm | Evening |
| Venus | Oph | −4.2 | 8:40am | 4:08pm | 11:36pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | 1.6 | 4:34am | 9:55am | 3:16pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Gem | −2.0 | 2:22am | 7:11am | 11:59am | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.5 | 7:39am | 2:24pm | 9:09pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 6:30pm | 12:25am | 6:16am | All night |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 3:26pm | 10:03pm | 4:45am | 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 95% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2013
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.