October Night Sky Guide: Saturn, the Orionid Meteor Shower and the Pleiades
October brings several impressive skywatching opportunities. See Saturn at opposition, look for the Orionid meteor shower and watch the Moon pass close to the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters.
October skywatching highlights
- October 4: Saturn reaches opposition, making the ringed planet visible for most of the night.
- October 6: A thin crescent Moon appears near bright Jupiter before sunrise.
- October 21–22: The Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak. Moonlight may hinder viewing, so look before dawn after moonset.
- October 27–28: The Moon passes close to the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters.
Saturn will take center stage, a meteor shower will light up the sky and the Moon will visit the Seven Sisters. Here is what to look for in the October night sky.
October 4: Saturn reaches opposition
On October 4, Saturn will reach opposition, giving skywatchers one of the best opportunities of the year to see the ringed planet. Opposition occurs when Earth passes between the Sun and Saturn. This places Saturn opposite the Sun in our sky, allowing it to rise around sunset and remain visible for most of the night.
Astronomers have long known about the hexagonal jet stream that crosses Saturn’s north pole for about 20,000 miles. But just last month, observations using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed 10 atmospheric waves surrounding Earth’s south pole. This southern hemisphere feature appears to be strengthening, giving scientists a rare opportunity to observe the development of large atmospheric patterns.
October 21–22: Watch the Orionid meteor shower
The Orionid meteor shower will reach its peak from the night of October 21 through the morning of October 22. The Orionids were created by tiny debris left behind by Halley’s Comet.
Although the meteors appear to radiate from the direction of Orion, they can streak across any part of the sky. This year, a bright full Moon will wash out some of the fainter meteors. The best opportunities may come during the hours before dawn, after the Moon has set.
For the best chance of seeing Orionid meteors, find a dark location, give your eyes time to adjust and look up across the sky.
October 27–28: The Moon meets the Pleiades
On the nights of October 27 and 28, look for the Moon to pass close to a famous star cluster called the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Many ancient cultures had stories associated with the Pleiades, partly because the star cluster is visible from almost anywhere on Earth.
To spot the Moon and Pleiades, look toward the east in the evening as they rise higher in the night sky. The Pleiades appear as a slightly fuzzy group of six to seven stars. They are visible to the naked eye, while binoculars or a telescope can reveal even more spectacular details.
Moon phases in October
Here are the phases of the Moon in October.
Source: science.nasa.gov