Introduction
September has indeed started to cool off over Utah. The state finally received some rain and even snow in the higher elevations. During the last couple of weeks, I was able to watch the Moon change phases beginning with the waning Moon, followed by the New Moon around the 23rd and 24th, and then to the waxing Moon towards the end of the month. Jupiter and Saturn were easy to spot in the early evening sky as well as Arcturus in the west. The morning sky offered views of Orion, which seemed to climb higher in the sky with each passing morning. I was also able to (finally!) do some quick astrophotography during the New Moon. I will share some of these images in a future post.
Utah will continue to see a drop in temperatures and a higher chance of precipitation throughout October. On the astronomy side of things, Saturn reached opposition in August and is an excellent target for any size of telescope shortly after sunset. Jupiter reached opposition more recently, less than a week ago as of this writing, and will also be a great target for a telescope or a pair of binoculars. The Orionid Meteor shower peaks this month, and it should put on a nice show.
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| Mercury |
Mercury returns to the morning sky this month. The innermost planet will rise nearly 70 minutes before the Sun on October 1. At this time, Mercury will be a dim 1.0 magnitude. By the 16th, Mercury will brighten to magnitude -1.0 but will lose some of its elevation in the morning sky. On this date, Mercury will rise about 45 minutes before the Sun. On the 8th, Mercury will reach its greatest western elongation. On the 24th, the waning crescent Moon will join Mercury in the morning sky with less than 1° separating the pair.
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| Venus |
Venus will be lost from view during October as it reaches superior conjunction with the Sun on October 22. Our sister planet will return in the western sky before the end of 2022.
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| Mars |
Mars will be a stunning object this month as it nears opposition and can be found near Aldebaran, the red eye of Taurus, and Betelguese, the red star that makes up the left shoulder of Orion. The three red points of light will create a triangle that will change nightly as Mars changes position in our sky. Mars will brighten throughout October, starting with magnitude -0.6 and ending the month at magnitude -1.1. The Red Planet will offer surface detail to telescope users this month. The Waning Crescent Moon will join Mars on the 15th when the pair will be separated by less than 4°.
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| Jupiter |
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| Saturn |
The two gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, will be stunning targets through a telescope this month. Jupiter reached opposition less than a week ago. If an observer can get away from city lights, Jupiter will surprise with its brightness. Jupiter will continue to fascinate observers with awesome views of the cloud bands and Great Red Spot, which show more detail since this planet recently reached opposition. Wait a few hours after sunset for Jupiter to reach a higher altitude in the sky to decrease atmospheric turbulence and increase the views of this planet. The nearly Full Moon will join Jupiter in the sky on the 8th. If an observer needs an extra incentive to view Jupiter this month, the mighty planet is the closest to Earth as it has been in nearly 60 years!
Saturn will still be a great target for observers during October. I encourage observers to begin their night sky planetary tour with Saturn after sunset while Jupiter rises higher in the sky. The rings of this planet have never left me or anyone that has attended one of my star parties disappointed. The Moon will join Saturn on the 5th of this month.
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars. Uranus will be found close to the Pleiades this month, in between Jupiter and Mars. The Moon will pass directly in front of Uranus on the 11th, blocking this ice giant from view.
Neptune will be found between Jupiter and Saturn but will be much closer to Jupiter. The nearly Full Moon can be found close by on the 7th.
Meteor Shower
October will bring the return of the Orionids Meteor Shower. This shower will peak on the 21st and will offer observers the chance to view up to 20 meteors per hour. As the name implies, this shower appears to radiate from the constellation of Orion. The Moon will be out of the sky during the peak date and time when Orion is above the horizon, making this shower a great one to watch.
Spot Me....🕵️
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| Night sky looking northeast after sunset. |
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| Night sky looking northeast after sunset with constellation lines and labels. |
The bright "star" to the right of the center is Jupiter. I will begin this Messier target hunt with Cassiopeia, or as I like to call it, the Weber constellation since it is in the shape of a "W". This constellation is more recognizable (at least to me) than Andromeda, and Cassiopeia can be used to find the Messier objects which belong to Andromeda as well. The first target, M52 (aka NGC 7654) is an open cluster that can be found by using the "normal" leg of the "W" and forming a line that moves away from Andromeda. See the image below for the location of M52.
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| Location of M52 in Cassiopeia. |
The next Messier object, M103 (aka NGC 581) is another open cluster. To find M103, shift your gaze to the bright central star and the brightest star that makes up the slanted arm of the "W". Begin with the bright central star and trace a line that extends out from there to the star in the slanted arm to find M103. See the image below for clarification.
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| Location of M103 in Cassiopeia. |
When finished viewing these two open clusters in Cassiopeia, we will make one more star hop to the three Messier objects in Andromeda. All three objects in Andromeda are galaxies and can be seen in one field of view with a low-power eyepiece. Using the slanted arm of Cassiopeia, draw a line that leads towards the constellation of Andromeda. An observer at a dark sky site should be able to spot M31 (aka Andromeda Galaxy, NGC 224) with the unaided eye. It's easiest to see this fuzzy patch of the sky by using averted vision. This is a technique that uses peripheral vision to look at objects instead of focusing directly on the object. After locking M31 in your field of view, M32 (aka NGC 221) and M110 (aka NGC 205) will pop into view as two satellite galaxies of M31. If you can see M31 without the use of a telescope or binoculars, congratulations! This is the furthest distance a human can see without optical aid. The Andromeda Galaxy is also the only object that can be seen with the unaided eye that lies outside of our own Milky Way Galaxy. See the image below for the location of these three objects.
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| Location of M31, M32, and M110 in Andromeda. |
The images below can be used as a quick reference for locating the Messier objects belonging to Cassiopeia and Andromeda.
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| Location of Messier objects belonging to Cassiopeia and Andromeda. |
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| Location of Messier objects belonging to Cassiopeia and Andromeda with constellation lines and labels. |
As mentioned, take your time viewing these objects to allow your eyes to detect as much detail as possible. Here is an updated file of the Messier Catalog. Check back around the 15th of October for more Messier objects!
Monthly Breakdown
October 02: First Quarter Moon 🌓
October 05: Moon passes within 4° of Saturn
October 07: Moon passes within 3° of Neptune
October 08: Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter
October 08: Mercury reaches greatest western elongation
October 09: Full Moon 🌕
October 12: Moon passes within 1° of Uranus
October 15: Moon passes within 4° of Mars
October 17: Last Quarter Moon🌗
October 21: Orionid Meteor Shower peaks
October 22: Venus reaches superior conjunction
October 25: New Moon 🌑
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images were taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.
