This is the continuing monthly column for the astronomer in all of us, or the aspiringastrophysicist. Compared to areas near Boston or New Bedford, generally speaking, the Tri-Town has pretty good dark skies and is thus very fortunate in that regard.
On October 4, Saturn is at its closest point to Earth. The ringed planet, or Roman god of harvests, is visible in the night skies this time of year and will be at its brightest that day. You can also easily spot many of the gas giant’s nearly 300 moons! Notably, Titan! If you have not yet seen Saturn’s rings with your own eyes, it is a humbling and profound experience.
World Space Week also begins October 4 and runs through October 10. October 4 marks the 69th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik I and October 10 is the 59th anniversary of the signing of the Outer Space Treaty by the United Nations.
October 8 brings the peak of the Draconids Meteor Shower. The not-creatively named comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner, discovered separately in the early 20th century by French and German astronomers Michel Giacobini and Ernst Zinner. The peak of the shower is highly variable year to year but is one of the most active, and those can be spotted aptly near the constellation Draco.
On October 10, there is a New Moon, making this the best day to spot galaxies, nebulae or other faint objects. This is a great day to search the skies, weather permitting.
On October 12, Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation, making it furthest from the horizon from our view and the best (and one of the few) times to view the boiling rock.
The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is tentatively scheduled for launch on October 19. It hopes to get an up-close look at the twin moons and captured-asteroids of Phobos and Deimos. The mission is helmed by JAXA, or Japan’s space agency.
Another! On October 21, the Orionids meteor shower peaks. This shower is produced by Halley’s Comet and peaks at about 20 meteors per hour. They’re visible near the constellation Orion.
This month’s Full Moon will be on October 26, being the “Hunter’s Moon” due to the historic prevalence of hunting at this time.
Astronomy Update for October
By Sam Bishop