October's shorter days mean more chances to observe the heavens, including falling stars and the crescent moon.
Each month, if you track the moon as it crosses the sky, you will see it near different objects of interest as it waxes and wanes. This is a good way for beginners to learn where and what some of the bright stars are.
The Moon by Stars and Planets in October 2008
On October 1, the moon is just coming out of new phase and is seen as a tiny crescent in the west at sunset. The bright point of light nearby is the planet Venus. October 2 gives a slightly better view as the moon will remain above the horizon a bit longer and have grown a bit wider and easier to spot. Over the next two nights, the waxing crescent moon hopscotches over the brightest star in Scorpius, Antares. On the 6th, the moon can be found inside the asterism of the teapot in Sagittarius and just five and a half degrees from Jupiter.
The full Hunter's Moon for October occurs on the 14th at 4:02 pm EDT. Daylight Saving Time continues until November 2 this year. Two nights after the full moon, on October 16, the moon occults, or passes in front of, the stars of the Pleiades cluster. The moon will grow nearer all night with the occultation itself occurring in the early morning hours.
As the moon grows in size over the month, it also rises later, meaning that if you look at sunset on each night of the month, the moon will appear farther and farther east each night, until it is no longer even above the eastern horizon at sunset. As it wanes, it will eventually reach new phase on October 28 and then reappear at the end of the month at sunset once again in the west as a thin crescent not far from Venus. There will not be a full moon this Halloween, but a thin crescent that sets soon after the sun does.
Meteor Showers in October
The first meteor shower in October is a minor one known as the Draconid meteors. The Draconid meteors is set to peak around October 7. The meteors are a result of the comet Giacobini-Zinner and seem to emanate from the constellation Draco the Dragon, found between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
The second meteor shower is one of the major showers of the year, the Orionid meteors. The Orionid meteor shower comes to us from debris left behind by Halley's Comet. When it reaches its peak, on about October 20, you can expect to see a meteor approximately every two minutes. The Orionid meteors seem to come from the constellation after which this shower was named, Orion. In the Northern Hemisphere, this constellation is rising in the later evening hours.
Share the sky events this month with trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood. Point out the moon, Venus, and Jupiter, and give them a treat that money can't buy.
The copyright of the article The Night Sky for October 2008 in Stargazing is owned by Kelly Whitt. Permission to republish The Night Sky for October 2008 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I've really enjoyed these postings all year! I work on a ship (4-8 watch);
it allows me to take advantage of the early mornings by knowing the events
of the month. It's improved my astronomy knowledge as well. Thanks!
Oct 24, 2008 2:04 AM
Guest :
It's early morning on Friday October 25th in South Western Ontario Canada
and between 3:30am and 5:00am (EST) I've noticed approximatly 10 shooting
stars without even trying to spot them. Is this to do with the Orionid
meteors? BTW. first time on the site deffinatly not the last.
Oct 24, 2008 7:00 AM
Kelly Whitt :
There is a good chance those meteors were Orionids. The meteor shower
typically runs from October 16 to 26, with its peak occuring earlier this
week. And at the time of night you were observing, Orion was well placed in
the sky. Orion is the constellation the Orionid meteors appear to come
from. If you ever see a little outburst of meteors like this again, try to
determine where they come from. Although meteors may seem to be spread out
across the sky, if you had mentally drawn a line backward across their
trails and kept ending up in the vicinty of Orion, then you would know that
they were, indeed, Orionids. I'm glad you got to see a good show - nothing
but rain and clouds here last night. And I hope you enjoy checking out the
website.
Oct 24, 2008 10:43 PM
Guest :
it's october 24th and its evening 1030 PM-i live on the coast in san diego
CA and in the night's sky I see a very bright light to the northeast...it
seems to flicker and is so bright, I thought at frist it was an airplane,
but of course it doesnt move! can anyone tell me if it is one of the
planets? My children are so curious- i want to be able to give them an
answer! Thank you so much!
Oct 25, 2008 6:55 AM
Kelly Whitt :
The star you are seeing is Capella. Here is a link to a previous article I
wrote about this bewitching star. http://stargazing.suite101.com/article.cfm/bright_star_in_the_northeast
Oct 28, 2008 10:16 AM
Guest :
saw a huge meteor Monday 10/27 over my home in Orlando, FL. was close to
earth and about the size of a VW.
Oct 29, 2008 4:38 PM
Guest :
On Friday Oct 24th I apx. 7pm I saw a huge flaming object to the WNW then
the flame went out and I could still see a glowing object travel across the
west to WSW before there was another flash of light and the object faded
away and was no longer visible. Could this have been a meteor. I work at
an airport and am very familiar with aircraft and this flaming trail looked
more like a meteor tail but it was traveling very slowly...not like a
shooting star...any ideas. buckeyarnold@gmail.com
Oct 31, 2008 5:06 PM
Guest :
i see this bright star too and it is little below on the right side of
venus. i used to wonder what it was, as per these articles it is
capella, most likely. i was intrigued for the last 3 days as it was
shining brighter than venus and shimmering. i am in the city of
mangalore in india. and i see it while they set and it looks like it does
so exact east. confirm if i am seeing the same star
Oct 31, 2008 11:56 PM
Guest :
i live in central minnesota, on the far east side near the WI border, and
for a few nights in a row now, between the hours of midnight-3am, i've seen
a rather persistent glowing in the eastern sky, somewhat south as well, but
it is very bright. i think it may be Capella, though I've read that Capella
is in the northeastern sky, while this stationary light appears to be, as i
said, more south than north. xcease_firex@hotmail.com
Nov 1, 2008 1:14 AM
Guest :
Oct. 31st at 10:46pm i saw a meteor zoom across the Las Vegas sky headed NW
towards Red Rock Canyon. Pretty kewl ;-)
Nov 1, 2008 7:43 PM
Kelly Whitt :
A reply to Buckey Arnold's comment - some meteors do appear to move more
slowly. If you follow the link below, you can see videos of meteors that
were captured on film. Note especially the fireball that was seen in
daylight over the Grand Tetons in Wyoming - it took quite a bit longer to
cross the sky than a typical meteor. So it is possible that you saw a
meteor. You also may have seen space junk burning up on re-entry. http://fireball.meteorite.free.fr/index_en.html
Nov 1, 2008 7:52 PM
Kelly Whitt :
To my reader in Mangalore, India - Venus should be the brightest object in
the sky other than the moon (and sun), so I am not sure what you are
seeing. From your location, Venus sets in the west-southwest. To the east
of Venus is Jupiter, which is also a very bright point, however not as
bright as Venus. Perhaps you are mistaking Jupiter for Venus? Capella rises
in the northeast just as Venus is setting and, while it is bright, it is
not as bright as Jupiter or Venus. I hope this has helped some.
Nov 1, 2008 8:01 PM
Kelly Whitt :
To my reader in MN - Because you are looking at the sky so late at night,
Capella has moved overhead for your location. It begins the evening in the
NE but by midnight-3 am it is more directly overhead. This still does not
answer what you are seeing in the east or southeast. My guess is that you
are seeing the brightest star in the sky - Sirius. At that time of night it
is in the SE between the constellation Orion and the horizon. Here is a
link to an article about Canis Major and its stars, including Sirius. http://stargazing.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_constellation_canis_major
Nov 5, 2008 9:14 AM
Guest :
I just discovered this site after viewing an enormous meteor Halloween
night around 7pm CT. In Madison, WI, heading east. At first glance, we
all thought it was a firework, but after the lack of a "pop" and
an illuminated trail that lingered for several seconds, we realized it was
a meteor. Largest one I've ever seen, actually, it resembled a burning
phoenix! Gorgeous, wish I would have had a camera!
Nov 10, 2008 6:21 PM
Guest :
I, too, found this site while trying to find out more about the Halloween
2008 fireball over Wisconsin. My husband and I saw it near Lodi,
Wisconsin. (We're wondering if it was a meteorite or some manmade space
junk....)
Nov 18, 2008 6:13 PM
Guest :
I also saw what I thought was a firework being launched in Neenah, WI, but
when it made no sound, I realized I was witnessing a meteor. It was
traveling east. It was the most awesome thing I have ever seen in the night
sky
Nov 23, 2008 9:09 PM
Guest :
I may have saw the same meteor from Grand Rapids, MI on Halloween. It was
the largest & longest I've seen...even from here. The timing seems
very close to when I saw it and it was in the direction of Wisconsin (WNW)
