The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2014
Highlights this month
- 5SunMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:13am)
- 8WedUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag 5.8). (8:16am)
- 17FriMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:36am)
- 21TueOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 25SatMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (5:53pm)
- 25SatVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:55pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:27am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 7:32pm | 12h 50m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Mon 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:17pm | 4:54am |
| Fri 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 2, 5:36am
- Full MoonWed 8, 9:54pm
- Last QuarterThu 16, 6:14am
- New MoonFri 24, 8:57am
- First QuarterFri 31, 1:51pm
Perigee 6 Oct (362,800 km) · Apogee 18 Oct (405,100 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | 5.6 | 6:38am | 1:17pm | 7:55pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.8 | 6:35am | 12:58pm | 7:21pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Oph | 0.9 | 9:41am | 5:09pm | 12:38am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.7 | 3:59am | 9:10am | 2:20pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.5 | 8:10am | 3:06pm | 10:01pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 6:51pm | 12:41am | 6:27am | All night |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 3:38pm | 10:13pm | 4:52am | 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 7% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 2014
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.