The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2026
Highlights this month
- 3SatVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (12:11am)
- 4SunSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag 0.2). (10:51pm)
- 5MonThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (5:17pm)
- 6TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.1° apart. (9:30pm)
- 12MonMercury at greatest evening elongation (25° from the Sun, mag −0.0) — best evening apparition. (8:54pm)
- 13TueThe Moon passes Mercury — 2° apart. (5:42am)
- 21WedOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 74% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 24SatVenus in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:34pm)
- 24SatMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (10:49pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Sat 10 | 6:42am | 7:32pm | 12h 50m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Tue 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:17pm | 4:54am |
| Sat 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSat 3, 11:27pm
- New MoonSun 11, 2:50am
- First QuarterMon 19, 3:12am
- Full MoonMon 26, 3:19pm
Perigee 2 Oct (369,200 km) · Apogee 17 Oct (405,000 km) · Perigee 29 Oct (364,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Lib | −0.0 | 7:29am | 2:38pm | 9:47pm | Evening |
| Venus | Vir | −4.0 | 6:38am | 1:48pm | 8:58pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.0 | 3:36am | 8:36am | 1:35pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.7 | 4:10am | 9:24am | 2:38pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.3 | 6:29pm | 12:30am | 6:27am | All night |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.7 | 11:04pm | 4:00am | 8:52am | Morning |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.8 | 5:52pm | 11:59pm | 6:02am | All night |
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 74% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2026
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.
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.