October Night Sky

October is a month for transitions. It also sets the stage for a handful of groupings involving planets and the Moon. Moreover, October marks the peak of two meteor showers.

On October 3, Venus will pair up with Regulus, the alpha star of the constellation Leo before sunrise.

Screenshot from Stellarium Version 0.10.6.1. Location: Quezon City, Philippines

Venus will later pair up with the Moon at its waning crescent phase on October 12.

Screenshot from Stellarium Version 0.10.6.1. Location: Quezon City, Philippines

On October 4, 5 and 6, the Moon will be seen with the stationary Jupiter.

Screenshot from Stellarium Version 0.10.6.1. Location: Quezon City, Philippines

On October 8, the Moon will be at its last quarter phase. This will occur at 7:33 UTC. Also on this day at 2:00 UTC, the Draconid meteor shower will peak. The meteors will appear before the last quarter Moon rises at midnight. Hence, the observation of these meteors will not be affected. Meteors can also be observed a day earlier.

On October 15, the Moon will be at its New Moon phase. It will not be visible from the Earth since no light from the Sun is reflected to us, as the side of the Moon facing us is not lit by the Sun. This will occur at 12:02 UTC.

On October 17 and 18, Mars will be seen with the waxing crescent Moon. Mars can also be seen near Antares, the alpha star of the constellation Scorpius. Mars can be spotted before sunset.

Screenshot from Stellarium Version 0.10.6.1. Location: Quezon City, Philippines

The Orionid meteor shower, a result of the Earth passing the dust trails left by Halley ’s Comet, will peak on October 20-21. It produces peak observed rates of more than 10 per hour (ZHR=25). Nevertheless, meteors can be seen anytime from October 17 to October 25. Brighter Orionids may leave persistent trains. The radiant, the apparent source of the meteors, rises at 21h UT. [1]

On October 22, the Moon will be at its first quarter. This will occur at 03:32 UTC. However, this will not affect the observation of the Orionid meteor shower as the first quarter Moon sets before the Orionid radiant rises.

On October 25, Saturn will leave the starry skies.

On October 26, Mercury will reach its greatest evening elongation at 24° East. It will shine at -0.1 magnitude. The innermost planet in Solar System will most likely be seen at dusk, and it will be hard for the observers in the Northern Hemisphere to spot it after the sunset.

On October 29, a Full Moon will lighten the night skies. This will occur at 19:49 UTC.

At the start of the month, Venus can be seen at the constellation Leo. Later in October, it can be seen moving towards Virgo. The planet’s apparent diameter decreases, whilst its gibbous phase grows at a significant illuminated proportion. It will remain a morning star all throughout the month and for the rest of the year. The planet is 35° west of the Sun and is 28° high at sunrise as the month ends.

All throughout 2012, Jupiter can be seen near the constellation Taurus. In early October, observers can see it rising by mid-evening. Towards the end of the month, it can be seen rising after sunset. It brightens from magnitude -2.3 to -2.7 and its apparent diameter grows from 39 to 47 arcseconds.

Sources:

Society for Popular Astronomy. Sky Diary: A Summary of sky events during September and October. In: Society for Popular Astronomy [Internet]. [cited 01 October 2012]. Available from: http://www.popastro.com/documents/SkyDiary.pdf

Sea and Sky. Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events for  Calendar Year 2012. In: The Sky [Internet] [cited 01 October 2012] Available from: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2012.html

Legendary Draconid meteors best after sunset October 7. In: EarthSky: A clear voice of science article [Internet]. [cited 01 October 2012]. Available from: http://earthsky.org/tonight/legendary-draconids-boom-or-bust

October 2012 guide to the five visible planets. In: EarthSky: A clear voice of science article [Internet]. [updated 05 September 2012; cited 01 October 2012]. Available from: http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury

Prepared by: Ericka Jane Angeles