The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2070
Highlights this month
- 2ThuMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:50pm)
- 8WedVenus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:09pm)
- 15WedSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:50pm)
- 16ThuNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:49am)
- 18SatJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag −2.8). (1:09am)
- 20MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.9° apart. (2:05am)
- 21TueOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 5:55am | 6:24pm | 12h 29m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Fri 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:10am |
| Mon 20 | 6:27am | 7:43pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Fri 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonSat 4, 5:04pm
- First QuarterSun 12, 7:44pm
- Full MoonMon 20, 6:04am
- Last QuarterSun 26, 9:45pm
Apogee 10 Oct (405,100 km) · Perigee 22 Oct (363,300 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.8 | 6:58am | 1:40pm | 8:23pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.8 | 6:45am | 1:14pm | 7:43pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Vir | 1.6 | 6:59am | 1:38pm | 8:17pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Psc | −2.8 | 7:40pm | 1:21am | 6:57am | All night |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.6 | 6:47am | 1:10pm | 7:33pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.7 | 9:41am | 5:02pm | 12:27am | Evening |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.8 | 1:53am | 6:42am | 11:31am | 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 97% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2070
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 18 August 2026.