What’s Up in the Sky – October 2024
AAA Observers’ October Guide
October’s Evening Planets: Bright Venus will be up until around 8 PM, moving between Libra the Scale and Scorpius the Scorpion through October. Red Mars will be up as of midnight and rising earlier every night until 10 PM by the end of the month, moving between Gemini the Twins and Cancer the Crab.
Find bright Jupiter in Taurus the bull as of 10 PM and rising earlier every night. Saturn will be in Aquarius the Water bearer all night. Find Uranus in Taurus the Bull and Neptune in Pisces the Fish. Dwarf Pluto is in Sagittarius the Archer until midnight and setting earlier every night.
October’s Evening Stars: The Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle until 2 AM and setting earlier each night. 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 1 AM and rising earlier each night. 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: Find Mars every night until sunrise moving between Libra the Scale and Cancer the Crab throughout October. Saturn will be in Aquarius the Water bearer until 5 AM and setting earlier every night until 3 AM by the end of the month. Jupiter and Uranus will be in Taurus the bull until sunrise. Neptune will be in Pisces the Fish until 6 AM and setting earlier every morning.
October’s Morning Stars: Spot 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. 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).
September Skylight
- Oct 2 New Moon at 2:50 PM
- Oct 2 Annular solar eclipse, partial in NY, Maximum around 3:25 PM
- Oct 2 Moon at apogee (252,600 miles away)
- Oct 10 First Quarter Moon at 2:55 PM
- Oct 16 Moon at perigee (221,900 miles away)
- Oct 17 Full Moon at 7:25 AM
- Oct 21 Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks, Pre-dawn
- Oct 21 Mars is 6° below Pollux – 2 AM
- Oct 21 Moon is 6° above Jupiter – Pre-dawn
- Oct 24 Last Quarter Moon at 4:05 AM
- Oct 26 Moon, Mars, Jupiter lined up 2 AM
- Oct 29 Moon at apogee (252,400 miles away)
