The moon is a couple days past full at the beginning of the month, and occulting Aldebaran, the bright star in Taurus on the 2nd. On the 8th, Venus is occulted for viewers in the South Pacific. For us, it’s a very close approach – less than a degree away. Three days later, Mercury is occulted, another close approach for us in the north. On the 26th, Uranus is occulted for Europe and east, less than a degree away for us. Once more, on the 29th, Aldebaran is occulted, but only for southern observers.
Mercury is a morning object in the eastern sky for the last three weeks of the month, with the moon nudging up close on the 11th.
Venus, also in the eastern morning sky, is occulted by the moon, as noted above. On the 26th, Jupiter is within a degree of the bright Morning Star.
Mars is low on the eastern dawn sky, but gradually moving into a darker area. Jupiter and Mars cuddle up close on the 17th.
Jupiter is in the constellation Leo in the early morning sky as the month begins. As noted above, Mars and Venus are close by on the 17th and 26th, respectively, making a great photo opportunity to catch the three planets together. Also a good opportunity to see planetary motion in action, as the trio shift positions daily.
Saturn remains low in the western evening twilight, setting soon after sundown. Could be a tough observation as the month draws to a close.
Uranus is in opposition on the 12th, meaning that the blue-green planet is high in the sky and straight south at midnight – in the opposite part of the sky from the Sun. The Moon occults Uranus for viewers in the South Pacific and Antarctica – a close approach for us.
Neptune has just passed opposition and is visible throughout the whole night, but observers need a telescope to see it.
Two meteor showers occur in October: the Draconids on the 8th, and the Orionids on the 21st. The Draconids emanate from the debris left over from the passage of comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. They are named after the constellation Draco, from where they appear to originate. The Orionids are the most prolific meteor shower associated with Halley’s Comet, and can be seen for a couple of weeks before and after the peak date. The particles that we see as streaks of light during a meteor shower are as small as the ball of a ballpoint pen, some of the brighter ones might be as large as a pencil eraser.
James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and is now the Society’s President, Assistant Editor and a contributor to the renowned Observer’s Handbook, and Production Manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. He was given the RASC Service Award at the 2012 General Assembly in Edmonton.
