The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2071
Highlights this month
- 10SatVenus at greatest morning elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (2:53am)
- 13TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 4° apart. (8:51am)
- 18SunNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (6:29pm)
- 21WedOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A thin 5% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 28WedSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:05am)
- 31SatMercury at greatest evening elongation (24° from the Sun, mag −0.2) — best evening apparition. (2:27pm)
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 | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Tue 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:54am |
| Sat 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 1, 2:24pm
- Full MoonFri 9, 4:27pm
- Last QuarterFri 16, 6:35pm
- New MoonFri 23, 3:51pm
- First QuarterSat 31, 11:08am
Apogee 3 Oct (405,000 km) · Perigee 18 Oct (369,300 km) · Apogee 31 Oct (404,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Lib | −0.3 | 7:21am | 2:19pm | 9:19pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −4.3 | 4:40am | 10:14am | 3:48pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | 0.2 | 2:20am | 7:05am | 11:50am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Tau | −2.5 | 11:02pm | 4:01am | 8:56am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.5 | 7:16am | 1:51pm | 8:26pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Oph | 5.7 | 9:58am | 5:21pm | 12:47am | Evening |
| Neptune | Gem | 7.9 | 2:03am | 6:53am | 11:42am | 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 5% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — October 2071
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 19 August 2026.