A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled by Steve Sawyer
Hi and welcome to Octobers What’s up. The nights are certainly drawing in now and will soon extend with the advent of daylight saving ending on the 27th. Hopefully the clear skies we’ve enjoyed during September will continue.
This month we can hope to see comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (shorter comet names please!) and several meteor showers.
So what’s on this month?
Ursa Major is grazing the northern horizon, while Cepheus, Cassiopeia, and Perseus are high overhead, with the Milky Way between Cepheus and Cassiopeia near the zenith. In the east, Auriga and Taurus, with the Pleiades, Hyades, and Aldebaran, are clearly visible. Orion and Gemini begin to rise above the horizon.
Bootes, Corona Borealis, and Hercules are descending in the northwest, while the Summer Triangle remains visible, though Aquila and Altair are nearing the western horizon. By the end of October, Europe shifts back to Standard Time.
The Great Square of Pegasus dominates the southern sky, accompanied by Pisces and Cetus below. Aquarius is well positioned in the south, with Fomalhaut and Piscis Austrinus near the horizon. The Milky Way runs from Cygnus through Aquila towards the west. Delphinus and Equuleus lie between the Milky Way and Pegasus. Andromeda is visible in the southeast, along with Triangulum and Aries. Perseus, the Pleiades, and Taurus are now well above the horizon. Later in the night, Orion rises, signalling the arrival of autumn and the approach of winter.
Sky Diary
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 02 | Annular solar eclipse (Pacific) |
| 02 | New Moon |
| 02 | Moon at apogee = 406,516 km (most distant of the year) |
| 02-Nov.07 | Orionid meteor shower |
| 03 | Mercury (mag. -1.6) 1.8°N of the Moon |
| 05 | Venus (mag. -3.9) 3.0°N of the Moon |
| 06-10 | Draconid meteor shower |
| 08-09 | Draconid meteor shower maximum |
| 10 | Southern Taurid meteor shower maximum |
| 10 | First Quarter |
| 14 | Saturn (mag. 0.7) 0.1°S of the Moon |
| 15 | Neptune (mag. 7.8) 0.6°S of the Moon |
| 17 | Full Moon |
| 17 | Moon at perigee = 357,175 km |
| 19 | Uranus (mag. 5.6) 4.5°S of the Moon |
| 20-Dec.10 | Northern Taurid meteor shower |
| 21-22 | Orionid meteor shower maximum |
| 21 | Jupiter (mag. -2.6) 5.8ºS of the Moon |
| 23 | Mars (mag. 0.2) 3.9°S of the Moon |
| 24 | Last Quarter |
| 27 | Summer Time ends (UK reverts to GMT) |
| 29 | Moon at apogee = 406,161 km |
This table captures the astronomical events for October, including phases of the moon, planetary alignments, and other notable occurrences.
Sky Maps
Looking South on the 15th at 22:00
Looking North on the 15th at 22:00
The two charts above show all DSOs of magnitude 6.0 or brighter. They are both taken from
SkyViewCafe.com and correct for the 15th of the month. For a clickable list of Messier objects with images, use the Wikipedia link.
Octobers Objects
The Sun
Things are currently quiet with no CME’s currently forecast, auroral activity is also currently low. Keep an eye out though as things may change rapidly as another large sunspot (3839) is currently emerging and will soon be Earth facing.
Resources
For more info on the sun and solar weather look here : –
Space Weather Enthusiasts Dashboard | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center
Auroa Forecasts
A bit US centred but still useful
Aurora Dashboard (Experimental) | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center
And our own Met-office have an excellent space weather forecast page here Space Weather – Met Office
The Moon
Octobers moon calendar from Sky View Café (skyviewcafe.com)
A full yearly lunar calendar can be found here :-
https://www.mooninfo.org/moon-phases/2024.html
The Moon’s Positions in October
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 02 | New Moon |
| 02 | Moon at apogee = 406,516 km (most distant of the year) |
| 03 | Mercury (mag. -1.6) 1.8°N of the Moon |
| 05 | Venus (mag. -3.9) 3.0°N of the Moon |
| 10 | First Quarter |
| 14 | Saturn (mag. 0.7) 0.1°S of the Moon |
| 15 | Neptune (mag. 7.8) 0.6°S of the Moon |
| 17 | Full Moon |
| 17 | Moon at perigee = 357,175 km |
| 19 | Uranus (mag. 5.6) 4.5°S of the Moon |
| 21 | Jupiter (mag. -2.6) 5.8ºS of the Moon |
| 23 | Mars (mag. 0.2) 3.9°S of the Moon |
| 24 | Last Quarter |
| 29 | Moon at apogee = 406,161 km |
Moon Feature
Sinus Iridum and the Moon Maiden
Sinus Iridum (the bay of rainbows) is a large bay on the visible side of the moon, on the northwestern edge of Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Rains), whose location is pointed out in the picture above. This is a vast mare, the second largest in the Moon, only surpassed in diameter by Mare Frigoris (The Sea of Cold ), which occupies a large portion of the northwestern quadrant of the Moon. There’s a lot to view within this region with several large craters, ridges and a sea of cooled basaltic lava. But we’re after something a little more illusive.
The Moon Maiden
Noted by Cassini (Giovanni Domenico Cassini – Wikipedia) this is a visual illusion created by the shadows cast from the mountain range of Prom Heralidies (marked on the picture below) during certain lunar phases.
The Moon Maiden appears to resemble the profile of a woman with long hair . The figure seems to emerge from the natural shadows cast by the nearby craters and mountains.
When to see
The Moon Maiden is typically visible during the first quarter or third quarter phase of the Moon. This is when the contrast between light and shadow on the lunar surface (especially near the terminator) is at its peak, which creates the necessary shadows for the illusion
Further info
APOD: 2003 June 19 – The Moon Maiden (nasa.gov)
Short video
Planets
Mercury
Evening object and sets very close to sunset so not really visible this month
Venus
Evening planet and can be found low in the Southwest setting between 50-90 minutes after sunset .
Mars
In early October, Mars is in Gemini, reaching an altitude of 55º before dawn and shining at magnitude +0.4. Mars is visited by the 61%-lit waning gibbous Moon on 23 October, followed by the last quarter Moon on the night of 23/24 October.
Jupiter
The best time to see Jupiter is on 31 October, when it reaches an altitude of 59º in Taurus, facing south. Jupiter rises earlier throughout October, reaching its peak altitude of 60º by the month’s end, with a waning gibbous Moon 5.6º north of it on 21 October.
Saturn
The best time to see Saturn isat the beginning of the month, when it reaches an altitude of 29º in Aquarius, facing south. Saturn, shining at mag. +0.4, remains well positioned throughout the month, reaching 30º in altitude. On 14 October, it sits 0.9º north of the 89%-lit waxing gibbous Moon, and by the end of the month, it peaks at 30º above the horizon
Uranus
The best time to see Uranus is on or around the 31 October , when it reaches an altitude of 56º in Taurus, facing south. Uranus, a mag. +5.7 object, is located 5.5º south-southwest of the Pleiades and remains well-positioned all month, reaching its peak altitude under dark skies.
Neptune
Best around the beginning of the month and can be found in Pisces at an altitude of 35º.
Meteor Showers
Orionids
The biggest shower this month peaking on the night of the 21/22, but meteors are visible from the 2nd October-7th November. This is a good year to watch the debris from Halley’s Comet hitting the Earths atmosphere as the Moon sets at around 10pm making for darker skies.
Dracanids
Peaking on the night of the 8/9 this shower is also known as the Giacobinids, after the French astronomer Michel Giacobini who discovered the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner1. This comet is the source of the dust and debris that create the meteors when they enter Earth’s atmosphere.
The radiant point is located in the constellation Draco, the dragon, which can be found in the northern sky. The moon will be a waning crescent and will not interfere much with the visibility of the meteors.
Comets
C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
As mentioned last month Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is a newly discovered long-period comet which was discovered in January 2023 by two independent teams: the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii.
The comet is predicted to reach naked eye brightness this month. The best time to see it will be mid October from 8pm onwards.
| Month | Comet | Magnitude | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep | 13P/Olbers | 8 | 19 |
| Sep | C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | 12 | 18 |
| Sep | C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) | 2 | 4 |
| Sep | C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) | 12 | 10 |
| Sep | C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | 12 | 59 |
| Sep | C/2023 R2 (PanSTARRS) | 12 | 3 |
| Sep | 37P/Forbes | 13 | 11 |
Link here for further details of each comet and how to locate it.
Visual Comets in the Future (Northern Hemisphere) (aerith.net)
Deep Sky (DSO’s)
This month we’ll have a look at some of the objects within the constellation Cetus
1. Messier 77 (NGC 1068) – Spiral Galaxy
- Type: Barred Spiral Galaxy (Seyfert Galaxy)
- Magnitude: 8.9
- Location: Near the star Delta Ceti
- Description: M77 is one of the largest galaxies in the Messier catalog, about 47 million light-years away. It’s a bright, compact object that is relatively easy to spot through a telescope and displays a brilliant core with tightly wound spiral arms.
- Viewing Tip: On clear nights, with a moderate telescope (6″ or more), you can begin to see the core and some structure of this active galaxy.
2. NGC 246 – The Skull Nebula
- Type: Planetary Nebula
- Magnitude: 10.9
- Location: Near the star Phi Ceti
- Description: Also known as the Skull Nebula, NGC 246 is a planetary nebula about 1,600 light-years away. It’s a faint object but offers a ghostly view that can be a rewarding find for experienced observers using a telescope.
- Viewing Tip: Use a narrowband filter (such as an OIII filter) to enhance the nebula’s visibility in a dark sky.
3. NGC 247 – Spiral Galaxy
- Type: Intermediate Spiral Galaxy
- Magnitude: 9.1
- Location: Near NGC 253 (the Sculptor Galaxy) and part of the Sculptor Group of galaxies
- Description: NGC 247 is a relatively close galaxy, about 11 million light-years away, with a large, elongated structure. Despite its distance, it’s a large and bright galaxy, perfect for long-exposure astrophotography.
- Viewing Tip: Look for its elongated shape and the mottled appearance of its spiral arms through a medium-to-large telescope.
4. IC 1613 – Dwarf Galaxy
- Type: Irregular Dwarf Galaxy
- Magnitude: 9.2
- Location: Near the border of Cetus and Pisces
- Description: IC 1613 is a member of the Local Group of galaxies, about 2.3 million light-years away. It’s an irregular, faint galaxy with low surface brightness, but a worthy challenge for deep-sky observers.
- Viewing Tip: Use a telescope in a dark location to pick out the diffuse, faint structure of this galaxy.
ISS and other orbiting bits
No ISS sightings for the 1st part of the month.
Use the this NASA website for exact timings for York overpasses. York, England, United Kingdom | Sighting Opportunity | Spot The Station | NASA
Useful Resources
StarLust – A Website for People with a Passion for Astronomy, Stargazing, and Space Exploration.
http://www.n3kl.org/sun/noaa.html
http://skymaps.com/downloads.html
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2024 – Sea and Sky (seasky.org)
https://www.constellation-guide.com/
and of course the sky at night magazine!
