The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2187
Highlights this month
- 1MonMercury at greatest morning elongation (18° from the Sun, mag −0.5) — best morning apparition. (6:07am)
- 4ThuThe Moon passes Venus — 5° apart. (6:54pm)
- 6SatThe Moon passes Mars — 4° apart. (10:26pm)
- 8MonSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:28am)
- 12FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (8:04pm)
- 18ThuJupiter is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (2:39pm)
- 21SunOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A bright 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 29MonMercury in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (11:04pm)
- 30TueUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag 5.7). (7:12pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 28m | 7:54pm | 4:26am |
| Wed 10 | 6:42am | 7:32pm | 12h 50m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Sat 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:17pm | 4:54am |
| Wed 31 | 6:14am | 7:54pm | 13h 40m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- New MoonTue 2, 4:46pm
- First QuarterTue 9, 6:28pm
- Full MoonWed 17, 10:44pm
- Last QuarterThu 25, 11:58am
Perigee 1 Oct (358,600 km) · Apogee 14 Oct (405,800 km) · Perigee 30 Oct (363,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −1.2 | 6:18am | 12:30pm | 6:43pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Lib | −3.7 | 7:53am | 2:57pm | 10:00pm | Evening |
| Mars | Oph | 1.0 | 9:24am | 4:49pm | 12:16am | Evening |
| Jupiter | Cap | −2.4 | 2:31pm | 9:22pm | 4:18am | Evening |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.7 | 6:31am | 12:45pm | 7:00pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 8:46pm | 2:08am | 7:27am | Morning |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.8 | 5:21pm | 11:31pm | 5:46am | 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 86% Moon interferes badly this year.
The solar system — October 2187
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 15 October 2026.