Volume 23 Issue 10
October 2023
October 2023
Month at a Glance:
This month there will be a pair of eclipses with the annular solar eclipse, on October 14th, being visible across much of the continental United States. The accompanying lunar eclipse on October 28th is a partial eclipse with the full Moon passing through the fainter outer penumbral shadow. The Moon just barely clips the darker umbral shadow at the time of mid-eclipse. This one will not be visible from our side of the world.
The planets are nicely distributed with Jupiter and Saturn in the evening skies and the very bright Venus shining in the morning skies a few hours before sunrise.
Click here for the month at a glance calendar.
What is this? "It's a prediction of when Lees Summit, MO, will have good weather for astronomical observing." Click on the graphic to go to the Clear Sky web site.
This month there will be a pair of eclipses with the annular solar eclipse, on October 14th, being visible across much of the continental United States. The accompanying lunar eclipse on October 28th is a partial eclipse with the full Moon passing through the fainter outer penumbral shadow. The Moon just barely clips the darker umbral shadow at the time of mid-eclipse. This one will not be visible from our side of the world.
The planets are nicely distributed with Jupiter and Saturn in the evening skies and the very bright Venus shining in the morning skies a few hours before sunrise.
Click here for the month at a glance calendar.
What is this? "It's a prediction of when Lees Summit, MO, will have good weather for astronomical observing." Click on the graphic to go to the Clear Sky web site.
Mercury may be visible low above the eastern horizon an hour or so before sunrise local time. However Mercury is quickly moving eastward and will catch up with the Sun and reach superior conjunction on the 20th of this month. It will then re-appear as an evening planet next month.
Venus is unmistakable as the very bright 'morning star' above the eastern horizon in the hours before the Sun rises. Watch for Venus to be close to the star Regulus in Leo the Lion and the Moon on the morning of the 10th. Venus reaches its greatest western elongation on the 23rd.
Mars is currently too close to the Sun to be seen and it will reach solar conjunction next month on the 18th.
Dwarf Planet Ceres has an apparent magnitude of 8.0 or dimmer making it it too dim to be visible unless some optical assistance is used.
Jupiter shines brightly high above the southern horizon this month and because it is near opposition (next month) is above the horizon most of the night hours. Careful observation will note that Jupiter is still in retrograde motion, appearing to be moving westward across the stars of Aries the Ram.
Saturn rises a couple of hours before Jupiter and like Jupiter is visible for most of the night hours. Saturn is also till moving in retrograde motion, but across the stars of Aquarius the Water Bearer.
Uranus is moving in retrograde motion across the stars of Taurus the Bull and is also above the horizon for most of the night hours. It reaches opposition on the 13th.
