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Astronomy Club of Asheville

Asheville, NC

October 2002 Highlights

Moon

New Moon: October 6^th.

First Quarter: October 13^th.

Full Moon: October 21^st.

Last Quarter: October 29^th.

Planets

Neptune:  is at +7.9 magnitude and located in the western part of Capricornus.

Uranus:  is at +5.8 magnitude and located in the eastern part of Capricornus.

Saturn:  is at +0.0 to-0.2 magnitude and rises before midnight most of the month.  The planet is in the northern section of Orion this month.  The rings are at their widest.

Jupiter:  is at –1.9 to –2.1 magnitude and rises after midnight.  It lies in Cancer and the best viewing is during the early morning hours.

Mercury:  is at +3.6 to –1.0 magnitude and is in the morning sky due east. On October 18^th it will be at its brightest this month.

Mars:  is at +1.8 and rises before sunrise.  It is at it’s dimmest this month.

Astreoids:  See Ceres & Melpomene thru binoculars: Sky & Telescope link . Ceres peaks at Magnitude 7.6 on Oct 9th.

Constellations

At zenith: Cygnus, Pegasus, Lacerta, Bootes, Lyra, Aquila & Vulpecula.

East: Pisces, Triangulum, Aries, Andromeda & Cetus.

The best nights in October to view without interference from the moon’s light are between October 3^rd through October 11^th.

Highlights

The Geminid meteor shower peaks October 18^th. A minor shower.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks on October 21^st. Due to the full moon at the peak the light will drown out the meteors, but look for the meteors other nights.

A few deep sky objects to view this month are M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy), M33 in Triangulum, M103, NGC 457 (the Owl Cluster), NGC663 in Cassiopeia & M77 in Cetus.

Club Stargaze

The September stargaze is Friday, October 4, 2002.  This will be at Mt. Pisgah trailhead parking area. The turn off the parkway is at about mile 407. Drive up to the 2^nd parking lot, which is a paved  & at a dead end.  You can check the Yahoo group for "AstroAsheville" or call Tim Barnwell @ 251-0040 or John Chappell @ 667-9268 for a go/no-go decision.

Blue Ridge Parkway Information Line is 828-298-0398 and go to Road Conditions on the menu.

Club Meeting

The October club meeting is Thursday, October 3, 2002, at 6 p.m. at Sim’s Group located at

230 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC.

Happy Starwatching!

Taken from Sky & Telescope Magazine, Astronomy Magazine & Astronomical Calendar 2002.