The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2040
Highlights this month
- 5FriJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:39am)
- 8MonSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:59am)
- 9TueThe Moon passes Venus — 1° apart. (11:40am)
- 10WedMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (1:23am)
- 21SunOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 21SunMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:10pm)
- 27SatNeptune at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag 7.8). (5:06pm)
- 30TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:13am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:55am | 6:25pm | 12h 30m | 7:54pm | 4:25am |
| Wed 10 | 6:41am | 7:33pm | 12h 52m | 9:05pm | 5:10am |
| Sat 20 | 6:27am | 7:43pm | 13h 16m | 9:18pm | 4:53am |
| Wed 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 6, 3:28pm
- First QuarterSat 13, 7:40pm
- Full MoonSat 20, 3:53pm
- Last QuarterSun 28, 11:32am
Perigee 15 Oct (369,200 km) · Apogee 28 Oct (404,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | 2.0 | 6:57am | 1:51pm | 8:45pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.8 | 8:12am | 3:24pm | 10:38pm | Evening |
| Mars | Lib | 1.6 | 7:24am | 2:16pm | 9:08pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.5 | 6:21am | 12:38pm | 6:55pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.7 | 6:30am | 12:45pm | 7:01pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Cnc | 5.6 | 3:25am | 8:25am | 1:24pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Ari | 7.8 | 8:28pm | 1:57am | 7:23am | 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 bright 99% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2040
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.