Welcome to October, our first full month of autumn. Days are becoming shorter and nights longer. Sunrise is now after 7 a.m., and sunset is before 7 p.m. By the end of the month, sunset will come before 6 p.m.
The “star” of October will not be a star, but rather a planet. Magnificent Saturn makes its closest approach to Earth this year, called “opposition” on Oct. 4. On that day, Saturn will be on the opposite side of the Earth than the Sun, hence the name.
Look for Saturn low in the east after sunset. It will be easy to spot. It will be very bright, outshining nearby stars. And, it will “twinkle” very little. Stars near our horizon tend to twinkle a lot. The faint light from faraway stars is bounced around in our atmosphere, causing the twinkling. Planets are close enough that we get a lot more light from them, and their light tends to be stronger, with little twinkling. Saturn also may look yellowish.
Saturn is magnificent in a telescope! If possible, get a look at it through a scope. Later in October will actually be better for telescope viewing, as the planet will be higher in the sky during evening hours. Saturn’s rings are worth the view. Several of Saturn’s moons often are visible as well, especially Titan, the largest. Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system, is larger than the planet Mercury. Saturn has some 293 moons, more than any other planet in the solar system.
Our other bright planets are again in the morning sky. Venus is close to the Sun in October, and pretty much lost in the solar glare. It does peek above the eastern horizon late in the month, at around 6 a.m. Jupiter and Mars are the stars of the early morning sky. On the morning of Oct. 5, you can see Jupiter, the crescent Moon, and Mars lined up high in the southern sky. Worth getting up a bit early for! The Moon will also pass in front of the bright star cluster “beehive” at about 3:30 a.m. that morning. Later in that same morning, the Moon will pass in front of Mars. Unfortunately for us, that will occur in daylight hours.
October’s Moon, the “Hunters Moon,” comes on the 25th of the month for us. New Moon occurs Oct. 10.
For me, a favorite object to view in October is the Andromeda galaxy. At 2.5 million light-years away, this large galaxy is the farthest object visible to the naked eye in our night sky. Seeing it requires a dark, moonless sky, away from artificial lights. Look for it in the eastern October evening sky, just below the “W” shape of the constellation Cassiopeia, and to the left of the “great square” of the constellation Pegasus. Binoculars are a big help. Scan the area with a pair to locate the galaxy. It will appear as an oval, ghost-like area of light, barely visible with your eyes. See if you can spot it!
Enjoy October’s night skies!
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