October Skies

by Dick Cookman

October 7, 2024

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, October Moon

Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Draco, Ursa Minor, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Triangulum, Aries, Pisces, Pegasus, Aquarius, Aquila, Cygnus, Lyra, Hercules

Comet Journals

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is a 7th magnitude comet which is close to the Sun in predawn skies on the 1st. By the middle of October it will appear in evening skies in Serpens Caput. It will move into and through Ophiuchus during October and is expected to be visible to the naked eye if it doesn’t break apart. It passed perihelion on September 27 and may briefly attain 1st magnitude. The comet passes perigee (closest to Earth) on October 12, lighting up the western evening sky. It may be surpassed by the predawn, newly discovered (9/27/2024) sungrazer, Comet C/2024 S1. Located in Hydra, it passes Earth on the 24th, and moves into Virgo at perihelion on the 28th. If it survives passage it may be spectacular.

Comet 13P/Olbers (2024) is a short period 8th magnitude comet which will move eastward from Virgo and into Libra in October. It passed through perihelion on June 30 and was closest to Earth on July 20.

Mars Landers

Scientists investigate features known as bedforms to determine ancient environments. Wind, water, and other forces move sediments around and form patterns which reveal formation conditions in rocks produced by lithification of the sediments. Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist, Matthew Chojnacki, published results of data collected from images taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) since 2013 in the journal “Geomorphology”. Chojnacki explained: “I pulled together a collection of HiRISE images that had these weird features that looked like bedforms, but they were cratered and covered in rocks. They looked decrepit and fossilized.” There are paleo-bedforms scattered across Mars within craters, basins, canyons, and more. These include wind-shaped paleo-dunes and paleo-megaripples, water-formed fluvial paleo-dunes, and heavily eroded dune cast pits. “The most compelling and unambiguous paleo-bedforms were the dunes, a lot of these paleo-dunes are dead ringers for the modern dunes, they just look more decrepit. “Paleo-megaripples, which resemble large fields of parallel ridges formed by wind over coarse sand, were the most common type found. These features provide valuable clues about the planet’s geological processes. The team believes that most paleo-bedforms were cemented into Mars’ geological record around 2 billion years ago. Some were buried by volcanic activity, while others became rock without ever being buried. These features were later exposed through erosion.

Meteor Showers

The four meteor showers in October include the Draconids, the Epsilon Geminids, the Orionids, and the Leo Minorids. Two are minor showers during waning gibbous lunar phases and the other two include:

• October 8: Draconids. Active October 6 – 10, Radiant 17h28m +54°, ZHR 20, 20km/sec. Waxing Crescent Moon. Progenitor: Comet 1P/Giacobini-Zinner.
• October 21: Orionids. Active October 2 – November 7, Radiant 6h20m +16°, ZHR 25, 66km/sec. Waning Gibbous Moon. Progenitor: Comet 1P/Halley.

Planet Plottings

Mercury (1.5 to -0.2) in Virgo and Libra, Venus (-3.8 to -3.9) in Libra and Ophiuchus, Saturn (0.7 to 0.8) in Aquarius, Neptune (7.8) in Pisces), Uranus (5.7) in Taurus, Jupiter (-2.1 to -2.3) in Taurus, and Mars (0.7 to 0.5) in Gemini and Cancer all rise before midnight in October. The latter four are still visible in the predawn hours. Mercury stays low near the western horizon throughout October and is a challenge to see in the glow of sunset. Venus (-3.8 to -3.9) is the bright early evening planet in the western sky. It moves from Libra, through Scorpius, and into Ophiuchus during October, getting brighter and rising slightly higher above the western horizon in the process. Saturn is high in the southeastern sky after sunset and Uranus rises about 9PM EDT. Jupiter rises about 10 PM EDT on the 1st and approximately 2 hours earlier on the 31st. Mars rises just before midnight and is continuing to brighten as it approaches the next opposition when closest to Earth in early 2025.

Planet	Constellation(s)	Magnitude	Planet Passages	Time	Date
Sun	Gemini	-26.5	New Moon	2:49PM EDT	10/2
Mercury	Virgo, Libra	-1.5 to -0.2
Venus	Libra, Scorpius, Ophiuchus	-3.8 to -3.9
Mars	Gemini, Cancer	0.5 to 0.1
Jupiter	Taurus	-2.3 to -2.5
Saturn	Aquarius	0.7 to 0.8
Uranus	Taurus	5.7 to 5.6
Neptune	Pisces	7.8

October Moon

October’s New Moon is in Virgo on the 2nd at 2:49PM EDT. There is an annular solar eclipse. The “ring of fire” will be visible in the southeast Pacific. The New Moon marks the start of Lunation 1259 which ends 29.75 days later with the New Moon of October in Libra on the 1st at 8:47PM EDT.

The Full Moon on the 17th occurs at 7:26AM EDT in Pisces as a Supermoon. The Full Moon precedes lunar perigee (minimum monthly distance) by about 1.5 hours making it very large and bright because it is closer than September’s supermoon when perihelion was 12 hours later. October’s Full Moon is the Hunter’s Moon, the full moon after the Harvest Moon. October’s moon can be defined as the harvest moon when it occurs closer to the Autumn Equinox than the full moon of September. Colonial Americans called it the “Harvest Moon”. To the Celts it was the “Harvest Moon”, and is the “Kindly Moon” for the Chinese. Medieval English thought of it as the “Blood Moon”. The Anishinaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) people of northern Michigan recognize it as “Binaakwe-giizis” (Falling Leaves Moon). Ontario’s Earth Haven Farm presents cultural teachings explaining the cycle of life and nature of the 13 Grandmother Moons. “The tenth moon of Creation is the Falling Leaves Moon, a time when Mother Earth is honoured with the grandest of colours. As all of Creation makes their offerings to her, we become aware of all the miracles of Creation before us and our spiritual energies are once again awakened.

Lunar Apogee (maximum lunar distance) – Oct. 2 at 3:39PM EDT. The Moon’s distance is 252,597mi. (63.74 Earth radii). Lunar perigee – Oct.16, 8:51PM EDT. The Moon is at 221,938 mi. (56.00 Earth radii). The waxing crescent Moon passes with Mercury on the 2nd, then passes Venus on the 5th. A waxing gibbous Moon passes Saturn on the 14th and Neptune on the 15th before Full Moon on the 17th. The waning gibbous Moon passes Uranus on the 19th, Jupiter on the 21st, and Mars on the 23rd.

Planet	Constellation	Magnitude	Moon Passages	Moon Phase	Moon Age
Sun	Gemini	-26.8	2:49PM EDT, 10/2	New	0 Days
Mercury	Virgo	-1.4	1.59°SSW, 7:00PM EDT, 10/2	Waxing Crescent	0.17 Days
Venus	Libra	-3.8	3.0°S, 4:00PM EDT, 10/5	Waxing Crescent	5.01 Days
Mars	Gemini	0.2	4.0°N, 4:00PM EDT, 10/23	Waning Gibbous	23.13 Days
Jupiter	Taurus	-2.5	6.0°N, 4:00AM EDT, 10/21	Waning Gibbous	21.55 Days
Saturn	Aquarius	0.7	0.1°N, 2:00PM EDT, 10/14	Waxing Gibbous	11.63 Days
Uranus	Taurus	5.6	4.0°N, Noon EDT, 10/19	Waning Gibbous	17.01 Days
Neptune	Pisces	7.8	0.6° N, 2:00PM EDT, 10/15	Waxing Gibbous	12.58 Days