Autumn is here, although it doesn’t quite feel like it yet. The gas giants Saturn and Jupiter will be easily visible this month, though Mars will hang low on the horizon. There are two meteor showers, a supermoon, and increased solar activity, making Aurora Borealis more likely than usual.
With the cooperation of the United Nations and the World Space Week Association (whose board includes Buzz Aldrin, Bill Nye, Tom Hanks, and many others), World Space Week takes place between October 4 and October 10. These two dates are both notable, with October 4 being the 67th anniversary of the launching of Sputnik 1 and October 10 being the 57th anniversary of the signing of the Outer Space Treaty.
In honor of space week, a supermoon and the Harvest Moon! On October 7, the October full moon, or the “Hunter’s Moon,” will shine bright. This is the first of three “supermoons” this year. The next two full moons this year will also be such. Super is quite an overstatement, as the moon will only seem slightly larger and brighter.
Also on October 7, the peak of the Draconids Meteor Shower which runs for four short days, October 6 to October 10. It will yield about 10-to-20 meteors per hour. The meteors of this shower originate from the 21P/Giacobini-Zinner comet (first observed by the French astronomer Michel Giacobini in 1900), although the shower itself is named after the Draco constellation, the spot in the sky where meteors most often appear. The supermoon is on the same day, so viewing the meteors won’t be as easy as they would otherwise be.
There will be a new moon on October 21, should you want to spot anything with darker skies like galaxies, constellations, nebulae, or even the sheen of the Milky Way, if you can get it dark and clear enough. You can also see meteors!
As opposed to the aforementioned meteor shower, another will peak on October 21. The Orionids Meteor Shower runs from October 2 to November 7, producing about 20 meteors per hour. With there being no glare from the moon, this will be a perfect opportunity.
There is always plenty to see and many apps, websites, and other resources to aid in identifying. NASA is always great for events (like the meteor shower) and ISS flyovers. Happy and lucky stargazing to you.
Astronomy Update for October
By Sam Bishop