Editor’s Note: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS can be spotted with the naked-eye this month. HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains.
Saturn is now an evening object. Look in the southeast at dusk.
Venus has also emerged into the evening sky. Look low in the west-southwest at dusk, near the point of sunset.
Jupiter is high, almost overhead at dawn and outshines all the stars we ever see at night.
Mars is also in the morning sky, high overhead at dawn. Mars brightens each morning this month as it pulls away from Jupiter.
Autumn represents sort of an ‘intermission’ in the sky, with bright summer stars setting at dusk, while bright winter patterns such as Orion have not yet risen. The ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius sets in the southwest early in the evening. The Summer Triangle is high in the west. Meanwhile, the Great Square of Pegasus is in the east, indicating that autumn has begun. The stars rising in the east are much dimmer than those overhead and in the southwest because when you face east at dusk in October, you face out of the Milky Way plane. The center of our Galaxy lies between Scorpius and Sagittarius, while the Summer Triangle is also in the galactic plane. When we face Pegasus, on the other hand, we face out of the plane of our galaxy. Pegasus, then, is a good place to look for other galaxies. Nearby constellations Andromeda and Triangulum (a small triangle) contain the spiral galaxies nearest to our own.
The Summer Triangle is high in the west. The ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius sets in the southwest. Saturn is in the south at dusk. The Great Square of Pegasus is high in the east at dusk. To the south and east, we see a vast dim area of sky known as the ‘Celestial Sea’, where only Fomalhaut stands out.
Moon Phases in October 2024
New Oct 2, 1:49 p.m.
1st Quarter Oct 10, 1:55 p.m.
Full Oct 17, 6:26 a.m.
Last Quarter Oct 24, 3:03 a.m.
The New Moon of October 2 passes in front of the Sun, causing a solar eclipse. This eclipse is annular and not total because the Moon is at apogee (farthest distance from Earth). With the Moon farther away than normal, its shadow tapers to a point before reaching the Earth, and the Moon cannot block the Sun completely from anywhere on the Earth’s surface. Unlike last year, this time the shadow passes over the South Pacific and the southernmost part of South America, so no one in the USA can see it.
Look for a naked-eye comet this month! Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS made its closest approach to the Sun on September 27, and is now approaching Earth as it recedes from the Sun. Closest approach to Earth is on October 12. As of now, we see this comet roughly in the same direction as the Sun, making it hard for us to observe. We can begin observing it in the evening around October 12, when it should be a naked-eye object. Face west at dusk and look for a comet with a distinctive tail pointing away from the Sun. During the rest of October, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS moves farther away from the Sun’s direction, but also farther away from the Earth, making it dimmer in our sky.
Here’s a good sky map to help you.
Our George Observatory is now open every Saturday night for observing! Purchase tickets in advance on our website.
Clear Skies!
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