What’s Up in the October Sky

Early October night sky, looking south. Sky Safari star chart annotated (Annotable) by Peter Tagatac

October’s Evening Planets:

Bright Venus and Mercury will be up moving between Virgo the Maiden and Libra the Scales for about 1 hour after sunset close to the horizon. Jupiter will be in Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer until 10 PM and setting earlier every night until 8 PM by the end of October. Saturn and dwarf Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer until midnight and setting earlier every night until 10 PM by the end of the month. Neptune is in Aquarius the Water bearer and Uranus in Pisces the Fish all night.

Saturn observing suggestions. Image derived from Sky Safari annotated (Annotable) by Peter Tagatac

October’s Evening Stars:

Spot the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle. Spot Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion, and spot Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman until around 8 PM. Bright Capella is in Auriga the Charioteer and Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull. Spot the stars of constellations Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Draco, Sagittarius, Pegasus, Hercules, Aquarius, Aries, Cetus, Capricornus and the two Dippers (the Big and Little Dippers).

October’s Morning Planets:

Red Mars will be up as of 6 AM in Virgo the Virgin. Uranus will be in Pisces the Fish until the morning. Neptune is in Aquarius the Water bearer until 5 AM and setting earlier every morning.
October’s Morning Stars: The Winter Triangle of Sirius (the brightest star viewed from Earth) in Canis Major the Great Dog, Betelgeuse in Orion the Hunter, and Procyon in Canis Minor the Small Dog will be up until sunrise. Spot Capella in Auriga the charioteer, Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull, Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion the Hunter,  and the stars of Aries, Gemini, Orion, Pisces, Cepheus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cetus, Draco, Perseus, Leo, and the two Dippers (the Big and Little Dippers).

Early October morning sky, looking south. Sky Safari star chart annotated (Annotable) by Peter Tagatac

October Skylight

  • Oct   2   Venus is 3° South of Moon
  • Oct   5  First Quarter Moon at 12:45 PM
  • Oct 10  Moon at apogee (252,200 miles away)
  • Oct 13  Full Moon at 5:10 PM
  • Oct 21  Last Quarter Moon at  8:40  AM
  • Oct 22  Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks, Pre-dawn
  • Oct 26  Moon at perigee (224,500 miles away)
  • Oct 27  New Moon at  11:38 M
  • Oct 28  Uranus at opposition, its brightest in 2019

 

Resources

Download Ken Graun’s October 2019 sky chart for reference and observing ideas.
Another equally helpful resource is Skymaps monthly evening skycharts available for different hemispheres.