Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial
events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).
Brief Calendar of Events
Date | Event |
4 |
Fri |
1 Ceres at opposition |
6 |
Sun |
New Moon |
Moon at perigee |
8 |
Tue |
Draconids meteor shower |
13 |
Sun |
First Quarter Moon |
Mercury at greatest elongation west (18°) |
20 |
Sun |
Moon at apogee |
21 |
Mon |
Full Moon |
Orionids meteor shower |
29 |
Tue |
Last Quarter Moon |
31 |
Thu |
Venus at inferior conjunction |
Neptune at east quadrature |
The Sun and Moon
There are no eclipses this month.
As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Virgo to the constellation Libra.
With New Moon occurring less than two hours from perigee, very high tides can be expected on 6 October.
The Planets
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Mercury
- Spending most of the month in the constellation Virgo, Mercury reaches greatest elongation west on 13 October. Northern latitudes are favoured for this apparition in the morning sunrise sky.
- Venus
- Venus is lost to view by the end of month when it undergoes inferior conjunction on 31 October. Look for it earlier in the month as it moves from the constellation Libra to Virgo.
- Mars
- The red planet is a morning sky object, rising before twilight in the constellations Leo and Virgo.
- Jupiter
- The king of the planets rises about midnight in the constellation Cancer.
- Saturn
- The ringed planet is almost stationary in the constellation Orion and thus rises before midnight.
- Uranus
- Setting around midnight, faint Uranus can be found in the constellation Capricornus.
- Neptune
- Neptune is not far from Uranus in the constellation Capricornus.
- Pluto
- Pluto sets mid-evening in the constellation Ophiuchus. However, because it is so small and faint, a large telescope is always needed to see it.
Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors
- Minor Planets
- 1 Ceres, the largest of the minor planets in the asteroid belt and the first one to be discovered, is at opposition on 4 October. At only eighth magnitude, you will need optical aids to see it in the constellation Cetus.
- Comets
- There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
- Meteors
- Occurring just two days past New Moon, this is a good year to observe the Draconids meteor shower. Unfortunately, the Orionids meteor shower is lost to the Full Moon.
The Celestial Sphere
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
For More Information...
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of your favourite amateur astronomy magazine available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2002 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Obliquity
Last modified on 30 September 2002
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2002/oct2002.html