What’s Up in the Sky – October 2022
AAA Observers’ October Guide
October’s Evening Planets: Bright Jupiter will be in Pisces the Fish and Saturn will be in Capricornus the Sea-goat all night. Find red Mars in Taurus the Bull as of 10 PM and rising earlier every night. Uranus will be in Aries the Ram and Neptune is in Aquarius the Water-bearer all night. Dwarf Pluto is in Sagittarius the Archer for a couple of hours after sunset.
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 in the first week of the month. Bright Capella is in Auriga the Charioteer and Aldebaran in Taurus. 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: Bright Venus will be up as of 6 AM in the first week of October in Virgo the Maiden. Mercury will be up around 5 AM close to the horizon in Virgo in the first half of the month. Jupiter will be in Pisces until 6 AM and setting earlier every night. Mars will be in Taurus until sunrise. Neptune will be in Aquarius until 6 AM and setting earlier every morning. Uranus will be in Aries until sunrise.
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 as of 2 AM until sunrise. Spot Capella in Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion, and the stars of Aries, Gemini, Orion, Pisces, Cepheus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cetus, Draco, Perseus, Leo, and the two Dippers (the Big and Little Dippers).
October Skylight
- Oct 2 First Quarter Moon at 8:15 PM
- Oct 4 Moon at perigee (229,500 miles away)
- Oct 8 Mercury at greatest western elongation
- Oct 9 Full Moon at 4:55 PM
- Oct 15 Moon is 4° above Mars, midnight
- Oct 24 Moon at apogee (251,200 miles away)
- Oct 15 Last Quarter Moon at 1:15 PM
- Oct 21 Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks, Pre-dawn
- Oct 22 Venus in superior conjunction
- Oct 25 New Moon at 6:50 AM
- Oct 29 Moon at perigee (228,800 miles away)