Home Back to October Sky
New Moon: October
14
Full Moon:
October 28. See below for total eclipse information!
STAR GAZE (October 15):
Sun: Sets at 6:53pm, astronomical twilight ends at 8:22pm
and begins at 6:18am the next morning. The Sun rises the next morning at 7:38am.
Between astronomical twilights, we get about 9.9 hours of darkness.
Moon: (illuminated 5%) The
Moon sets at 7:52pm.
Saturn: Rises at 12:43am. The star-like object about 3.5 ring-diameters away to the West is the moon Titan.
Asteroid: Vesta has faded to magnitude 6.7 from 6.1 during the last month. It is 38 degrees above the southern horizon when it transits at 11:13pm on the night of the gaze. It is in the constellation Aquarius, and only about 2.5 degrees south of the asteroid Metis (magnitude 9.1). See this S&T article on finding Vesta.
Asteroid: Juno is in the constellation Scutum,
about 2 degrees away from Messier 26. It is 47 degrees above the southern horizon
at sunset on the night of the gaze, and transits at 8:16pm. It is magnitude
10.3.
SOLAR SYSTEM:
Moon:
A very good total lunar eclipse on Oct 27, see the entry under "Highlights"
below.
Mercury: Is at superior conjunction with the Sun on Sept 9, so we are not able to see it this month.
Venus: Passes very near Regulus on October 3, then pulls away to the west.
Jupiter: Can be seen low in the morning sky by the end of the month. On the mornings of NOVEMBER 4 th & 5th, Jupiter & Venus are in conjunction, less than a degree apart, and both are visible in the same telescopic field of view! You may be able to make out Venus's gibbous shape (81% illuminated) while in the same field of view as Jupiter and it's moons. You should be able to see Jupiter's disk and it's moon's. Four Jovian moons will be visible, two on each side of Jupiter, until Io goes into eclipse at 5:26am (Jupiter will about 27 degrees high at that time). Europa's shadow begins a transit at 5:39am and will be in transit until the Sun rises at 6:56am (you will need a higher power eyepiece to see the shadow, though.)
As you watch all these objects (Venus, Jupiter & it's moons) in the same field of view, contemplate their actual locations: Venus is beyond the Sun and is on it's way to superior conjunction behind the Sun next year. Jupiter is more than 5 times further away from Earth than is Venus, but is orbiting the Sun in roughly the same plane as Earth and Venus. This orbital plane is vividly displayed by both the orientation of the Jovian moons and by the gibbous shape of Venus. Now just visualize the Sun off to the side, as indicated by the moons, and out of your field of view, casting that shadow on Venus's dark side, causing it's gibbous shape. It's a chance to really FEEL your place in the Solar System!
Eyepiece/scope combinations to give medium powers and still have both Venus
& Jupiter in the field of view at 5:00am on Nov 5th:
1. A 17mm, 82-degree AFOV eye piece in a 12"/F5 scope, that will give 94
power.
2. The same 17mm eye piece in an 8"/F10 scope with a f6.3 focal reducer,
that will give 75 power.
3. A 14mm, 82-degree AFOV eye piece in a 10"/F4.7 scope, that will give
100 power.
Even with out a telescope, these two planets will be very impressive so close together in the sky!
Saturn: Is about 68 degrees above the eastern horizon at sunrise at the beginning of the month.
Uranus: Was at opposition on August 6, in Aquarius. It is magnitude 5.7 and may still be visible to the unaided eye if you catch it early in the evening. Here's a finder chart on the S&T web site.
Neptune: Was at opposition on August 27, in Capricornus. It is magnitude 7.9 and visible through binoculars. Here's a finder chart on the S&T web site.
DEEP SKY OBJECTS (DSO's):
RING NEBULA (M57)
DUMBBELL NEBULA (M27)
VEIL NEBULA (NGC6960-6992)
ALBERIO (Double Star)
(These
4 objects above are in west at nightfall, so catch them early in night before
they get low in western sky.)
ANDROMEDA GALAXY (M31)
PINWHEEL GALAXY (M33)
DOUBLE CLUSTER (NGC869-884)
HIGHLIGHTS:
Oct
15: First day of Ramadan begins at sunset on Oct 14.
Oct
27: A very good total eclipse of the Moon, first detectable
about 8:45pm EDT, but the Moon won't be completely in eclipse until 10:23pm. See
this S&T
article. This full moon, the first after the Harvest Moon, is called
the Hunter's Moon.
Oct 31: Set clocks back 1 hour at
3:00am.
The Geminid meteor shower peaks October
18th. A minor shower, but very favorable conditions.
The Orionid meteor
shower peaks on October 21st. The radiant in Orion's club rises about 9:30pm
and a 62% illuminated waxing gibbous moon sets before the radiant, about 12:30am.
These meteors are notoriously fast (66km/sec), sometimes bright, and often leave
a trail.
CLUB STARGAZE:
You can check the AstroAsheville
Yahoo group (or call Tim @ 251-0040 or John @ 251-1933 x17 (before 5:00) or
667-9268 (after 5:00)) for a go/no-go decision and to verify location.
CLUB MEETING:
Indoor club meetings are usually the first Thursday of every
month, at 6 p.m. in the Sim’s
Group offices (230 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC.)
Happy Starwatching! Dress Warm!
Blue Ridge Parkway Information
Line is 828-298-0398
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(Much of the above info is derived from Sky & Telescope magazine, Ottewell's
Astronomical Calendar, The Night Sky Observer's Guide, Burnam's Celestial Handbook,
Megastar 5.0, Planets202, the ol' Miller Planesphere, and a little (very little)
common sense.)