The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2159
Highlights this month
- 1MonMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (7:00am)
- 5FriNeptune is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (12:28pm)
- 8MonThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (6:18am)
- 13SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:26pm)
- 19FriJupiter in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (3:58am)
- 21SunOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 67% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 22MonMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (3:23am)
- 25ThuSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (6:19pm)
- 29MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best morning apparition. (7:50am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:27am |
| Wed 10 | 6:42am | 7:32pm | 12h 50m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Sat 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:16pm | 4:54am |
| Wed 31 | 6:14am | 7:53pm | 13h 39m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterThu 4, 10:12pm
- New MoonThu 11, 9:56pm
- First QuarterFri 19, 8:18pm
- Full MoonSat 27, 11:22am
Perigee 5 Oct (369,900 km) · Apogee 19 Oct (404,800 km) · Perigee 31 Oct (366,600 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | 5.9 | 6:22am | 12:49pm | 7:16pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −4.1 | 4:50am | 10:25am | 4:00pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sgr | −0.3 | 12:10pm | 7:34pm | 3:00am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Vir | −1.5 | 6:49am | 1:18pm | 7:47pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.5 | 7:10am | 1:43pm | 8:15pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.8 | 11:18am | 6:39pm | 2:04am | Evening |
| Neptune | Sgr | 7.9 | 12:13pm | 7:25pm | 2:41am | Evening |
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 67% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2159
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 1 October 2026.