WHAT’S UP?

TUESDAY: OCT. 16: This is First Quarter Moon night providing a sight that never fails to inspire awe as the half lit sphere is poised high in the evening sky, complementing scenic surroundings which reflect the character of the current season.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17: Tonight the “Demon Star” Algol will give us a subtle wink. This is a gradual event lasting about two hours, centered at 10:50 p.m. Check the star in Perseus before 9 o’clock and compare its brightness with surrounding stars, then revisit it at its dimmest around 10:30 p.m. You may share the experience of what was once a huge mystery to observers before Algol was discovered to be an eclipsing binary star.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17: The waxing gibbous Moon will approach the position of Mars tonight, as the red planet enters the latter part of its 2018 appearance. Tomorrow night Luna will have moved to the other side of the still bright orange beacon.

SATURDAY, OCT. 20: For those interested in glimpsing the outer ice giant Neptune, the bluish planet will be found about two finger widths above the waxing gibbous Moon. Large binoculars or a telescope can reveal the “unblinking star.” For those who missed Algol’s performance last Wednesday, there will be another minimum of the eclipsing binary tonight, with the two hour fainter period centered at 10:39 p.m. A “before” look around 8:30 p.m. can be compared to its diminished brightness around 10:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, OCT. 21: The Orionid meteor shower will peak this afternoon, so early this morning or late tonight would be opportunities to try to “catch some falling stars.” Unfortunately the waxing gibbous Moon will drown out the fainter members earlier in the evening before it sets. While this is not a prominent meteor shower, it is worth watching. This is a free schedule of upcoming celestial events compiled by the Okanagan Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.