The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2186
Highlights this month
- 2MonMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:12am)
- 9MonThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (5:25am)
- 10TueMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (9:51am)
- 17TueMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.6) — best morning apparition. (2:50pm)
- 20FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (1:21am)
- 21SatOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A 58% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 26ThuUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag 5.7). (11:40am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 | 6:55am | 7:24pm | 12h 29m | 8:54pm | 5:26am |
| Tue 10 | 6:42am | 7:33pm | 12h 51m | 9:04pm | 5:10am |
| Fri 20 | 6:27am | 7:42pm | 13h 15m | 9:17pm | 4:53am |
| Tue 31 | 6:13am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:33pm | 4:35am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterFri 6, 8:38am
- New MoonFri 13, 3:44am
- First QuarterFri 20, 8:48pm
- Full MoonSat 28, 5:20pm
Perigee 9 Oct (368,000 km) · Apogee 21 Oct (404,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.3 | 5:58am | 12:02pm | 6:06pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Leo | −4.7 | 4:43am | 10:31am | 4:20pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 1.5 | 4:25am | 9:43am | 3:01pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.0 | 11:46am | 7:05pm | 2:27am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.9 | 6:02am | 12:04pm | 6:05pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 8:24pm | 1:51am | 7:14am | Morning |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.8 | 5:09pm | 11:22pm | 5:39am | 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 58% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — October 2186
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 14 October 2026.