The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2016
Highlights this month
- 4TueThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (7:25am)
- 6ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (7:47pm)
- 15SatUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag 5.7). (10:01pm)
- 21FriOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 67% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 28FriMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:03am)
- 30SunVenus and Saturn in conjunction — 3° apart. (9:03am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:55am | 6:24pm | 12h 29m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Mon 10 | 6:41am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:10am |
| Thu 20 | 6:27am | 7:43pm | 13h 16m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Mon 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 1, 10:16am
- First QuarterSun 9, 3:36pm
- Full Moon SupermoonSun 16, 3:28pm
- Last QuarterSun 23, 6:11am
- New MoonMon 31, 4:43am
Apogee 5 Oct (406,000 km) · Perigee 17 Oct (357,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.2 | 6:21am | 12:35pm | 6:51pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.8 | 8:07am | 3:18pm | 10:29pm | Evening |
| Mars | Sgr | 0.2 | 11:07am | 6:36pm | 2:07am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.5 | 6:05am | 12:14pm | 6:22pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.4 | 9:17am | 4:29pm | 11:42pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.7 | 7:30pm | 1:10am | 6:46am | All night |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 3:58pm | 10:28pm | 5:02am | 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 67% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2016
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.