October Skies

A brief overview of what to see in the sky with the unaided eye:

Stars and Constellations

● The constellations of Pegasus, Andromeda and Cassiopeia are convenient to view during October evenings
● The “Great Square” of Pegasus is high in the eastern sky, or nearly overhead after dusk
● Andromeda extends toward the north from Pegasus
● Cassiopeia is a familiar “W” shape and high in the northeastern sky during autumn evenings
● The “Andromeda Galaxy” in Andromeda is visible as a fuzzy patch during clear and moonless nights away from light pollution, and is easy to spot from darker skies away from urban areas

Planets

● Mercury is not practically visible and too close to the sun’s position

●Venus is not practically visible and too close to the sun’s position and passes conjunction with the sun October 24
● Mars is visible in the eastern pre-dawn sky in the Cancer constellation
● Jupiter rises during early morning and is prominent in the eastern pre-dawn sky as a bright white light in the Leo constellation
● Saturn rises during the evening and is visible in the southeastern sky in the Cetus constellation

Moon Phases

● Last Quarter October 3, 09:25 EDT
● New Moon September 10, 11:50 EDT
● First Quarter September 18, 12:13 EDT

● Full Moon September 26, 00:12 EDT

Noteworthy Sky Events

§  October 5-6-7: thin waning crescent moon is close to Mars (October 5) and Jupiter (October 6-7)

§  October 6: Moon occults Jupiter at EDT 04:24, followed by Jupiter re-appearing from behind the moon’s disk at EDT 05:22

§  October 31: Mars and Jupiter appear very close together in the southeastern pre-dawn sky with the moon above them

Sky Resources Online
Some website resources for sky charts, weekly sky events, and more information:
● astrogeo.ca/skylights
● www.heavens-above.com
● In-the-sky.org
● www.skyandtelescope.org
● www.skymaps.com

Monthly Sky Chart for mid-October, mid-evening (courtesy of www.heavens-above.com):