What's Up In The Sky Now?

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The number of planets in the dark sky is diminishing this month but the night sky still has a

monopoly on them. At least the weather is beginning to cool down so observing conditions are

becoming much more friendly.

MERCURY is one of the early morning objects this month. Rising almost one and a half hours before sunrise, it will reach only about 15 degrees above the horizon before sunlight covers it.

VENUS is still the blazing light in the west in the early night sky, and on the evening of October 9th the very bright Venus will have an up close encounter with a thin crescent moon. A good Kodak Moment.

EARTH is finally entering its fall phase and the hot temperatures of summer are gradually giving way to cooler weather. Cooler weather also means lower humidity so seeing conditions will drastically improve.

MARS has just completed its conjunction with the sun and for those around this area it won't be putting in any appearances until late November and then only in the early morning sky.

JUPITER Jupiter is still the brightest object in the night sky and continues to chase Saturn across the southern sky. Jupiter is at the eastern edge of Capricornus, and Saturn is just entering the western boundary. Another Kodak Moment will occur on the evening of October 14th when Jupiter, Saturn and a Gibbous Moon form a triangle in the southern sky.

SATURN, as mentioned above, is leading bright Jupiter toward the west. And the pair of planets will dance with the Moon between them on October 14 as mentioned above. 

URANUS is visible most of the night and is out in front of the Pleiades. At less than 6th magnitude, this far away planet can be seen with just binoculars this month. The bluish tint of Uranus should make it fairly easy to spot.

NEPTUNE has completed its trip around the sun and will be visible all night in Aquarius. Well up before dark, Neptune will be almost due south around 1:00 a.m. local time. Not a binocular planet this month.

• New Moon, October 06
• First Quarter, October 12
• Full Moon, October 20
• Last Quarter, October 28