By Pat Beers Block
Welcome Star Gazers to this month’s highlights of celestial events visible in Fluvanna County!
Fun events to view in October
October offers ever exciting events including noteworthy planetary and lunar conjunctions (remote objects visually appear close to one another), and interesting facts related to this month’s full moon. Hopefully some of these events capture your interest and motivate you to spend time observing the night and early morning dark sky this month. So let’s get ready to engage in observing these events by setting up your star gazing equipment, charging your cell phones and linking to Sky Guide, Sky View Lite, or any other star gazing applications that you find useful, and settling into your favorite viewing spot to witness the magic of the night and early morning skies!
Weeks 1-2 (October 1- 11)
There is a scarcity of events during the first week of October this year. Starting in the second week, the planet Saturn is in conjunction with the moon on October 5.
The full moon that appears on October 6 is called the Hunter Moon as well as the Harvest Moon. The moon is called the Hunters moon based on the need to start securing food supplies. The Harvest Moon is a designation/name that is specifically linked to the full moon that is closest to the autumn equinox (September 22). An interesting fact regarding this month’s moon is that for several (3-4) evenings, the moon rises at approximately the same time. This phenomenon supports several long workdays during which farmers can “harvest” their fields, ergo the colloquial name Harvest Moon is given to this moon. Another interesting fact is that Japanese citizens call the observance of the Harvest Moon the Tsukimi .
On October 8, the planet Jupiter will be in conjunction with the star Pollux within the constellation Gemini.
Although it is unlikely that Fluvanna residents will witness any meteor activity from the Draconid meteor shower (Class III, Variable ) that will occur on October 8-9, both due to the minimal activity (1 meteor /night) and the overwhelming brightness of the full moon, it is worth noting as a regular event that occurs in October. Draconid meteors emanate from the Draco constellation and are best observed in the early evening sky.
On October 10, the moon will be in conjunction with the Pleiades (aka the Seven Sisters or Messier 45) star cluster within the constellation Taurus.
Week 3 (October 12-18)
On October 13, the moon will be in its last quarter when the left side of the moon’s face will be illuminated. Additionally, on this date, the moon will be in conjunction with the planet Jupiter. An hour later, the moon will be in conjunction with the stars Pollux and Castor of the constellation Gemini.
On October 14, the moon will be in conjunction with the Beehive Star Cluster (Messier 44) within the constellation Crab. The moon will also be in its last quarter, illuminated on the left side of the surface that faces Earth.
On October 16, the moon and the star Regulus, within the constellation Leo, will be in conjunction with one another.
Weeks 4- 5 (October 19-31)
On October 19 planet Mercury will be in conjunction with the planet Mars just after sunset; look to the west-southwestern horizon to view these planets. Also on this date, the crescent moon will be in conjunction with the planet Venus, visible in the eastern horizon just before sunrise (best date for viewing is October 23).
The new moon phase will occur on October 21 when it will no longer be visible except as a ghostly sphere in the sky. This moon phase gives us the opportunity to better view the night sky since there will be no moonlight to obstruct views of stars and planets. This is convenient since the Orionid Meteor shower (Class I, Major shower) will be at its peak on October 23. The Orionid shower typically produces around 20 meteors/hour.
The moon moves into another first quarter on October 29; the right side of its face will be illuminated. The final event on October 29 is a possible view of Mercury since this planet will be at its greatest elongation (maximum distance from the Sun). Mercury might be visible in the western sky after sunset.
In Summary…
As we explore the sky above us each month, we are learning how both the complexity and the consistency of celestial events makes star gazing a fun and engaging activity. If you look back at earlier editions of this article, you will find repeated instances of identical celestial events. Soon you, too, will be able to anticipate conjunctions, oppositions, lunar phases, and other celestial activities that might occur in a particular month of the year! You are indeed becoming an expert star gazer through your commitment to looking at the sky each day!
A final story of interest is the progress being made in the management of space debris. A new method using an engine plasma thruster shows promise for helping to push space debris, such as outdated or damaged satellites, out of orbit so that this debris does not create dangerous collisions with working equipment (see August 20 Scientific Reports; “Plasma propulsion system could help remove space debris without contact”) .
For information about noteworthy events, visit: NASA’s homepage; the ISS phone app that tracks ISS movements; the aurora borealis website where flare-ups are noted that might be visible in Fluvanna county and other space related websites noted below that provide information about rocket and satellite launches.
With the perpetual motion of planets and stars, the daily changing sky promises to entertain you for a lifetime! Until next month, keep your eyes facing the morning and evening sky to see the wonders of our universe as we Earthlings travel through it!
[information has been extracted from Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2025 – Sea and Sky (seasky.org); https://eclispe.gsfc.nasa.gov; https://highpointscientific.com/astronomy-hub; https://amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers; https://starwalk.space; https://spacetourismguide.com; Wikipedia; https://SkyatNightMagazine.com; theskylive.com; the Farmers’ Almanac; https://www.timeanddate.com; https://www.aianta.org/native-american-moon-names/]
