The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2103
Highlights this month
- 1MonVenus at greatest morning elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (2:40pm)
- 1MonMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (5:40pm)
- 5FriThe Moon passes Saturn — 5° apart. (11:44pm)
- 9TueThe Moon passes Jupiter — 1° apart. (6:42pm)
- 21SunOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 66% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 23TueThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (2:23am)
- 30TueUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag 5.7). (7:25am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:57am | 6:23pm | 12h 27m | 7:53pm | 4:28am |
| Wed 10 | 6:43am | 7:32pm | 12h 49m | 9:03pm | 5:12am |
| Sat 20 | 6:29am | 7:42pm | 13h 13m | 9:16pm | 4:55am |
| Wed 31 | 6:14am | 7:53pm | 13h 39m | 9:31pm | 4:37am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonMon 1, 6:15pm
- First QuarterTue 9, 1:24pm
- Full MoonTue 16, 4:03am
- Last QuarterTue 23, 7:33am
- New MoonWed 31, 11:40am
Perigee 14 Oct (359,900 km) · Apogee 26 Oct (405,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.8 | 7:01am | 1:43pm | 8:25pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −4.2 | 4:44am | 10:17am | 3:50pm | Morning |
| Mars | Gem | 0.4 | 2:41am | 7:28am | 12:15pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.0 | 11:50am | 7:09pm | 2:31am | Evening |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.4 | 8:37am | 3:40pm | 10:43pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 8:43pm | 2:07am | 7:26am | Morning |
| Neptune | Vir | 8.0 | 5:38am | 11:30am | 5:22pm | Hidden |
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 66% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2103
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 3 September 2026.