Astronomy a Go Go! October Sky Tour
Astronomical Online
Glossary
Download this month's sky map!
Northern hemisphere sky
map
Southern hemisphere sky
map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis
Southern Hemisphere Additional Information
James
Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern
Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ
site
Southern
Sky Watch.
Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune for Oct 08 (click for a larger
image)
October morning planets (click for a larger image)
Planets for September 2008
Mercury and Saturn slip into the morning sky, Mars creeps closer to the Sun,
Venus is brilliant in the evening sky and the rest of the gang
- Mercury- Starts in Virgo moves to Leo. By the end of the month look
for little Mercury 4 deg from Spica in Virgo 2.6 mag (1st) to -0.4 mag (21st)
- Venus- In Libra. Much easier to see this month as she rises a little
higher each night. Brighter than Jupiter the two make nice finder 'stars' in the
early evening. On the 31st look for a slender crescent moon together with the
goddess of love and beauty. -3.8 mag (1st) to -3.8 mag (21st)
- Mars- In Virgo. Mars heads off to do battle with the Sun. Very low on
the horizon for southern viewers at the beginning of the month it is lost to
high northern latitudes, not to be seen again until 2009! 1.6 (1st) to 1.6 mag
(21st)
- Jupiter- In Sagittarius. Still a fantastic sight to see Jupiter
transits around sunset for northern viewers. Jupiter reaches its east quadrature
(90 deg east of the Sun) on the 6th. -2.3 mag (1st) to -2.2 mag (21st)
- Saturn- In Leo. Climbing higher in the morning sky northern latitude
views have their best views mid-month. 1.0 mag (1st) to 1.0 mag (21st)
- Uranus- In Aquarius 5.7 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)
- Neptune- In Capricorn 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
Finder
Charts for Neptune and Uranus -Northern
Hemisphere, Southern
Hemisphere
Key Dates for October 2008
Days and Times in UT: (help with
time)
Observations are for 9 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 9
pm for the mid-northern latitudes.
Today's sunrise and sunset times or
plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory
Website
Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!
Astronomical Highlights - October 2008
| 1 |
- Mars 5 deg N of the Moon |
| 2 |
- Venus 5 deg N of the Moon |
| 4 |
- Antares 0.1 deg N of Moon, possible occultation, check the IOTA website for
occultation information for your area. |
| 5 |
- Moon at apogee (furtherest from Earth 404,721 km) |
| 6 |
- Mercury at inferior conjunction, passing into the morning sky |
| 7 |
- Jupiter 2 deg N of Moon |
|
- First Quarter |
| 8 |
- Draconid meteors peak |
| 10 |
- Neptune 0.9 deg S of Moon, possible occultation, check the IOTA website for
occultation information for your area. |
| 12 |
- Mercury at ascending node |
| 14 |
- Full Moon (20:02 UT) |
| 15 |
- Mercury stationary |
| 17 |
- Mercury at perihelion |
|
- Moon at perigee (closest to Earth 363,823 km) |
|
- Moon 0.8 deg N of Pleiades (M45) grazing possible for western N.America,
check the IOTA
website for occultation information for your area. |
| 21 |
- Orionid meteors peak - pre-dawn, fast, faint, debris from Comet Halley. So
if you missed the last Comet Halley pass you can at least step out side and see
the leftovers! |
|
- Last Quarter |
| 22 |
- Moon 0.9 deg S of the Beehive (M44) |
|
- Mercury at greatest elongation W (18 deg) |
| 23 |
- Regulus 1.9 deg N of the Moon |
| 25 |
- Saturn 5 deg N of the Moon |
| 26 |
- Venus 3 deg N of Antares |
| 27 |
- Mercury at greatest Heliocentric lat. N |
|
- Mercury 7 deg N of the Moon |
| 28 |
- New Moon |
| 31 |
- Antares 0.1 deg S of Moon, possible occultation, check the IOTA website for
occultation information for your area. Halloween 31st, All Saints' Day Nov 1st
and All Souls' Day Nov 2nd and our astronomical cross quarter day, mid-way
between equinox and solstice and some would say the beginning of
winter. |
Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com,
Astronomical Calendar 2008, CalSky. sunrise and sunset times
for your home*
Comparative lengths of
day and night
Equinox
pole and those having more fun watching the observers....
...the early risers of Gold Hill, CO (some of the nicest folk
on the planet!)
(Photo Credit: Joan Few;
Equinox Pole Project Grand
Master, pole leveler, and pivotal mathematician: Arthur Few;
Pole
transportation, hole digging, knots, and lashes by yours truly...that's right, I
get the good jobs!)
Sliding
into October we complete our tour of the wonders in Sagittarius. Sixteen Messier
objects are found within the constellation of Sagittarius, we will seek the six
that remain to be seen on our tour. We will also search for three others just
north of Sagittarius in the Milky Way.
Our October tour includes two nebulae and the clusters that power them, four
open clusters, a star cloud, and lastly two globular clusters. All of these
objects are possible in binoculars, most are easy in even small binoculars.
Several of these are also possible naked eye objects.
M24 - This "object" is
actually a section of the Milky Way in Sagittarius. It is easily seen with the
naked eye as a fuzzy, oval patch about four times the size of the full moon. The
best views are through binoculars or rich field telescopes.
M25 - Just east of M24 in
Sagittarius we find this open cluster. Visible to the naked eye, M25 lies in the
same binocular field as M24. In binoculars it appears as a partially resolved
star cluster buried in faint nebulosity. A view through a telescope shows the
nebulosity is in fact many faint stars that are not resolved in small
instruments.
M18 - This
is a small open cluster just north of M24 in Sagittarius. In binoculars M18 is
easy to see as a small fuzzy patch of light in the same field of view as M24.
Telescopes reveal this cluster for what it is, a small, sparse collection of
fairly bright stars.
M17 - Just north of M18 and in
the same binocular field as M24 and M18 lies the Omega nebula. Possible to see
with the naked eye and easy with binoculars, this nebula appears as a small
faint patch of fuzz. A telescope will show the unique V shape nebulosity that
gives the cluster its name. The shape reminds me of a swan with two bright stars
that power the cluster embedded in the head and neck of the swan.
M16 - Continuing north of M17
we find another nebula in Serpens. To the naked eye and binoculars, this small
patch of haze is very similar in appearance to M17 which is in the same
binocular field of view. Through a telescope the M16 looks like a sparse open
cluster of stars surrounded by faint wisps of smoke.
M26 - Continuing to head north
through the Milky Way we find this open cluster in the constellation Scutum.
This is a difficult object to find in binoculars, but possible as a faint patch
of fuzz. Telescopes partially resolve this cluster and show several stars buried
in a faint glow from the unresolved stars.
M11 - Just north of M26 in
Scutum lies the Wild Duck Cluster. Possible to see with the naked eye,
binoculars show a small faint patch surrounding a bright star. Telescopes
resolve many of the stars in this very rich cluster.
M55 - Dipping back into
Sagittarius we find two more globular clusters waiting for us. The first is one
of the brightest and largest globulars in the catalogue. Possible to see naked
eye, it is an easy binocular object appearing as a bright fuzzy ball of light.
Telescopes show a round patch of light bright in the center and fading toward
the edges. Large aperatures are needed to resolve this globular.
M75 - The last object of the
month, and the last object to be visited in Sagittarius. In binoculars, M75 is
not too hard to see, look for a small fuzzy star. A telescope will show a small
fuzz ball with a bright center.
From the Astronomical
Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada
Comets for October 2008
Gary Kronk's comet and
meteor pages
Skyhound
Comet pages
Historical and Current Events
...Did you know?
Mark has developed his own website
so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us
this month!
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat
or write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance within you"
Katy
Pfaffl- "Halfway There"
Albert
Collins- "Brick"
Astronomical Highlights for 2008
Earth's major motions for 2008
| Perihelion |
|
Jan 3 00h(UT) |
| First Cross Quarter Day |
|
Feb 2-6 |
| Equinox |
|
Mar 20 05:48(UT) |
| Second Cross Quarter Day |
|
May 4-7 |
| Solstice |
|
June 20 23:59(UT) |
| Aphelion |
|
July 4 08h (UT) |
| Third Cross Quarter Day |
|
Aug 5-8 |
| Equinox |
|
Sept 22 15:44(UT) |
| Fourth Cross Quarter Day |
|
Nov 5-8 |
| Solstice |
|
Dec 21 12:04(UT) |
Planet Positions for 2008
| 2008 |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Venus |
Sgr |
Cap |
Aqr |
Psc |
Tau |
Gem |
Cnc |
Vir |
Vir |
Sco |
Sgr |
Cap |
| Mars |
Tau |
Tau |
Gem |
Gem |
Cnc |
Leo |
Leo |
Vir |
Vir |
Vir |
Sco |
Oph |
| Jupiter |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Sgr |
| Saturn |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Interesting Planet Pairing for 2008
- January (first two week) - Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran -
Mars will be moving westward into this red triangle, pausing at the end of the
month and then returning to regular Eastward motion at the beginning of
February.
- February 1 (start watching in early January) - Jupiter and
Venus - Start this early in January with Jupiter just off the horizon and
watch as they creep closer and closer. On the 1st of Feb early in the morning,
about one hour before sunrise in the east, Jupiter and Venus are less than one
degree apart in the constellation Sagittarius. They will be outstanding and you
could imagine all sorts of symbolism that could be associated with this
conjunction.
- February 27 - Mercury and Venus - Rising just one hour before
the Sun in the East in the constellation Capricornus. Venus and Mercury will be
just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot
pursuit.
- March 24 - Mercury and Venus...again - Mercury catches up to
Venus again, this time less than one degree apart and in the constellation
Aquarius. They will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the
sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge.
- July 10 - Mars and Saturn - In the constellation Leo
yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars will be less than one degree from each
other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should
be easy to see.
- August 13 - Venus and Saturn - Less than one degree apart in
the constellation Leo. Venus will be the brighter of the two.
- August 14 (watch from 10-16th)- Venus, Mercury, and Saturn -
Just after sunset a triple conjunction! The three planets will be less than
three degrees apart in the constellation Leo and almost in a line. Venus will be
the highest and brightest Saturn the middle object and Mercury will be the
lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn. If you want to make
this even more interesting look for Mars 16 degrees to the SW the trio.
- August 19-21 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be
about one degree apart for three days. VERY low on the western horizon at
sunset.
- September 11 (watch from 5-18)- Venus and Mars - Venus will
come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart
Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining brighter
than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
- December 1 - Venus and Jupiter - All within Sagittarius, the
two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after
sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus.
- December 31 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a little more
than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and telescopes because
Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. All three
will be together in one field of view in most home binoculars.
2008 Phases of the Moon
Universal Time
NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER
d h m d h m d h m d h m
JAN. 8 11 37 JAN. 15 19 46 JAN. 22 13 35 JAN. 30 5 03
FEB. 7 3 44 FEB. 14 3 33 FEB. 21 3 30 FEB. 29 2 18
MAR. 7 17 14 MAR. 14 10 46 MAR. 21 18 40 MAR. 29 21 47
APR. 6 3 55 APR. 12 18 32 APR. 20 10 25 APR. 28 14 12
MAY 5 12 18 MAY 12 3 47 MAY 20 2 11 MAY 28 2 57
JUNE 3 19 23 JUNE 10 15 04 JUNE 18 17 30 JUNE 26 12 10
JULY 3 2 19 JULY 10 4 35 JULY 18 7 59 JULY 25 18 42
AUG. 1 10 13 AUG. 8 20 20 AUG. 16 21 16 AUG. 23 23 50
AUG. 30 19 58 SEPT. 7 14 04 SEPT. 15 9 13 SEPT. 22 5 04
SEPT. 29 8 12 OCT. 7 9 04 OCT. 14 20 02 OCT. 21 11 55
OCT. 28 23 14 NOV. 6 4 03 NOV. 13 6 17 NOV. 19 21 31
NOV. 27 16 55 DEC. 5 21 26 DEC. 12 16 37 DEC. 19 10 29
DEC. 27 12 22
Eclipses for 2008
February 07 - Annular Solar Eclipse (
see
map, times, and
animation!): The first
solar eclipse of 2008 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. An
annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track, that traverses Antarctica and
southern regions of the Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse will be seen within the
much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southeastern
third of Australia, all of New Zealand and most of Antarctica.
August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see
map, times, and animation!): On Friday,
2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow
corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow
begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central
Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader
path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America,
most of Europe and Asia. Special website with extra information and links to
live eclipse webcasts can be found at the NASA
Eclipse Website for the August 1st Eclipse
February 20th - Total Lunar Eclipse ( see
map, times.): The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for
observers throughout most of the Americas as well as western Europe. The eclipse
occurs at the Moon's descending node, midway between perigee and apogee. During
the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3° northeast of the Moon and shines brightly (mv
= +0.2) because it is near opposition. Special website with live broadcast can
be found at the NASA
Eclipse Website
August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse ( see
map, times): The last eclipse of 2008 is a partial lunar eclipse at the
Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. It is visible primarily from the Eastern
Hemisphere as well as eastern South America
Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse
Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM
Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval
Observatory)
Meteor Showers for 2008
All times are UT
| Quadrantids |
January 4, 7h |
Waning Crescent |
| Lyrids |
April 22, 4h |
almost Full |
| Eta Aquarids |
May 5, 18h |
New Moon |
| Perseids |
August 12, 11h |
Waxing Gibbous |
| Orionids |
October 21, 4h |
Last Quarter |
| Leonids |
November 17, 10h |
Waning Gibbous |
| Geminids |
December 13, 23h |
Full Moon |
Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2008" RASC
