The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2039
Highlights this month
- 10MonThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (6:54am)
- 15SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (25° from the Sun, mag −0.1) — best evening apparition. (8:50pm)
- 19WedVenus at greatest morning elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (2:35pm)
- 21FriOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 16% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 26WedNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag 7.8). (5:07am)
- 27ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:33pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:27am |
| Mon 10 | 6:42am | 7:32pm | 12h 50m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Thu 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:17pm | 4:54am |
| Mon 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSun 2, 6:21pm
- Last QuarterMon 10, 8:03pm
- New MoonTue 18, 6:16am
- First QuarterMon 24, 10:45pm
Apogee 8 Oct (405,100 km) · Perigee 20 Oct (363,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Lib | −0.1 | 7:30am | 2:38pm | 9:47pm | Evening |
| Venus | Leo | −4.4 | 4:38am | 10:13am | 3:48pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | −0.0 | 1:59am | 6:42am | 11:25am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Leo | −1.5 | 5:26am | 11:13am | 5:01pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.9 | 6:05am | 12:07pm | 6:09pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.6 | 3:13am | 8:09am | 1:05pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.8 | 8:19pm | 1:51am | 7:19am | Morning |
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 16% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 2039
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.