The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2173
Highlights this month
- 3SunSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Pisces (mag 0.3). (6:00pm)
- 7ThuMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:39pm)
- 10SunThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (10:30pm)
- 14ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (7:07pm)
- 20WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 4° apart. (3:56am)
- 21ThuOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | 5:55am | 6:24pm | 12h 29m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Sun 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:10am |
| Wed 20 | 6:27am | 7:43pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Sun 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 41m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonThu 7, 11:48am
- First QuarterThu 14, 5:47pm
- Full MoonThu 21, 12:24pm
- Last QuarterFri 29, 3:48am
Apogee 2 Oct (405,200 km) · Perigee 17 Oct (367,400 km) · Apogee 29 Oct (404,800 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.6 | 5:59am | 12:02pm | 6:05pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Sco | −4.7 | 8:10am | 3:44pm | 11:18pm | Evening |
| Mars | Leo | 1.8 | 5:11am | 10:51am | 4:31pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Oph | −1.7 | 9:27am | 4:45pm | 12:07am | Evening |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.3 | 6:24pm | 12:25am | 6:23am | All night |
| Uranus | Aqr | 5.8 | 3:58pm | 10:28pm | 5:02am | Evening |
| Neptune | Cap | 7.8 | 2:43pm | 9:29pm | 4:20am | 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 100% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2173
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 8 October 2026.