The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2017
Highlights this month
- 9MonMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (7:39am)
- 20FriUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag 5.7). (4:59am)
- 21SatOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 24TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (11:13pm)
- 27FriJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:24am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:56am | 7:24pm | 12h 29m | 8:54pm | 5:26am |
| Tue 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Fri 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Tue 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonFri 6, 5:46am
- Last QuarterThu 12, 11:27pm
- New MoonFri 20, 6:12am
- First QuarterSat 28, 9:22am
Perigee 9 Oct (366,700 km) · Apogee 25 Oct (405,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.1 | 6:49am | 1:23pm | 7:58pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.7 | 5:51am | 11:50am | 5:50pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.8 | 5:36am | 11:29am | 5:22pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.5 | 7:05am | 1:41pm | 8:18pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Oph | 0.4 | 9:57am | 5:14pm | 12:35am | Evening |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.7 | 7:52pm | 1:27am | 6:58am | All night |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 4:10pm | 10:38pm | 5:09am | 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 2% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 2017
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.