The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2116
Highlights this month
- 3SatMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:43pm)
- 8ThuUranus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:37pm)
- 15ThuNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:20pm)
- 16FriMars is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:20pm)
- 17SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (1:59am)
- 21WedOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22ThuThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (4:12pm)
- 23FriJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (6:46pm)
- 25SunThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (8:25am)
- 28WedSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag −0.2). (10:29am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 29m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Sat 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Tue 20 | 6:27am | 7:42pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Sat 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonTue 6, 7:21pm
- First QuarterWed 14, 12:01am
- Full MoonThu 22, 3:55am
- Last QuarterThu 29, 12:37pm
Perigee 5 Oct (360,500 km) · Apogee 17 Oct (405,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.8 | 6:57am | 1:37pm | 8:18pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −3.8 | 5:24am | 11:11am | 4:58pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Tau | −1.4 | 11:24pm | 4:20am | 9:12am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.4 | 2:57pm | 9:42pm | 4:32am | Evening |
| Saturn | Ari | −0.1 | 8:32pm | 2:04am | 7:31am | Morning |
| Uranus | Gem | 5.6 | 1:16am | 5:58am | 10:40am | Morning |
| Neptune | Vir | 8.0 | 6:44am | 1:08pm | 7:33pm | 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 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2116
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 7 September 2026.