The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2015
Highlights this month
- 1ThuMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:35am)
- 9FriThe Moon passes Venus — 0.7° apart. (7:07am)
- 9FriMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:08am)
- 12MonUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag 5.7). (3:08pm)
- 16FriMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best morning apparition. (2:08pm)
- 17SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (12:54am)
- 21WedOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A 54% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 26MonVenus at greatest morning elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (5:39pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 27m | 7:53pm | 4:27am |
| Sat 10 | 6:43am | 7:32pm | 12h 49m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Tue 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:16pm | 4:54am |
| Sat 31 | 6:14am | 7:53pm | 13h 39m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterMon 5, 8:02am
- New MoonTue 13, 11:09am
- First QuarterWed 21, 7:38am
- Full Moon SupermoonTue 27, 11:06pm
Apogee 11 Oct (406,200 km) · Perigee 27 Oct (358,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.4 | 5:59am | 12:02pm | 6:04pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −4.5 | 4:38am | 10:14am | 3:50pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 1.8 | 5:08am | 10:44am | 4:21pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.6 | 5:09am | 10:48am | 4:27pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Sco | 0.4 | 8:44am | 3:49pm | 10:54pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.7 | 7:13pm | 12:58am | 6:39am | All night |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 3:50pm | 10:23pm | 4:59am | 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 54% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — October 2015
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.