The Night Sky
Night Sky for October 2017
Sun:
The shorter nights are now with us as the Sun moves further into the southern sky. Throughout the month the Sun’s elevation in the sky increases, reaching over 60 degrees.
Moon:
Full Moon falls on the 6th and Last Quarter is on the 13th. New Moon follows on the 20th with First Quarter occurring on the 28th. Neptune will be occulted by the Moon around 1.37 am on the 4th. A small telescope should show the event.
Planets:
Mercury starts the month in the morning sky but after conjunction with the Sun on the 9th it passes into the evening sky staying too close to the Sun to be easily seen. Venus is very low in the morning sky, rising about 40 minutes before the Sun.
On the 6th, the planet is barely onefifth of a degree below Mars. Observers with a clear eastern horizon should be able to see both objects in binoculars.
Mars is now in the morning sky but will be difficult to see until the end of the month when it rises an hour before the Sun.
Jupiter drops lower in the evening sky during October before becoming lost in the twilight.
It reaches conjunction with the Sun on the 27th and moves into the morning sky but will still be too near the the Sun to be visible. Saturn remains in the evening sky, setting after midnight.
On the 24th, the crescent Moon is just over 4 degrees from the ringed planet.
Uranus should be just visible to naked eye this month as it is at opposition on the 19th. Stars and Constellations:
The western sky is richly populated with the star fields that Sagittarius and Scorpius contain. Try sweeping a pair of binoculars across this area of sky and you will notice what appear to be fuzzy collections of stars, packed together.
The Milky Way runs from south to west. In the north, the large constellation of Pegasus, the Winged Horse, fills much of the sky. Just below it lies Andromeda.
The bright stars to the west of due north are Deneb, Vega and Altair. Our southern sky has Crux (the Southern Cross) and the Pointers barely above the horizon. Canopus is extremely low in the south east, while Achernar is some distance above it.
The eastern sky appears relatively barren at this time of the year, with only Pisces and Cetus rising in the early evening.
Early morning risers will be able to see Orion and Sirius in the east.
The bright stars to the west of due north are Deneb, Vega and Altair.