Don’t miss the Partial Lunar Eclipse at the end of October. Apart from that, observers can still witness visual planets and the Orionid meteor shower!
Partial Lunar Eclipse July 17 2019. Credit: Langitselatan
Planet
Mercury. This planet cannot be observed in October. Mercury is too low on the eastern horizon in early October and is still on the horizon at the end of October. Mercury disappears behind the bright Sun because the planet is at superior conjunction in late October.
Venus. The Morning Star can be observed on the eastern horizon before the sun rises from three in the morning in the constellation Leo throughout the month of October. Venus will cross paths with the Moon towards mid-October.
Mars. The red planet appears low on the western horizon after sunset during October. Mars can be observed in the constellation Virgo until mid-October and the planet shifts to the constellation Leo at the end of October. Mars also passes the Moon in mid-October but is too low to be seen by observers, especially in urban areas that are blocked by buildings.
Jupiter. The largest gas giant planet in the Solar System can be observed in the constellation Aries from around eight in the evening when the planet rises until the sun rises. Jupiter crosses paths with the Moon at the beginning and end of October.
Saturn. Saturn can still be observed after sunset until early morning when Saturn sets. This planet can be observed in the constellation Aquarius and meets the Moon at the end of October.
Uranus & Neptune. This giant ice planet is too faint to be observed with the unaided eye. Prepare a telescope if you want to see these two ice planets.
Uranus can be observed in the constellation Aries with Jupiter from around nine in the evening until sunrise. Meanwhile, Neptune, which is in the constellation Pisces, can be observed after sunset until early morning.
Moon
Moon Phases October 2023. Credit: Fajar Ariadi/langitselatan
The moon remains an interesting attraction to see because of its brightness. Apart from that, the conjunction of the Moon and planets is also another interesting treat.
October 6. Last Month. The moon rises at midnight and sets at noon. The moon is visible from midnight until dawn.
October 10. Moon at apogee. The moon is at its farthest point from Earth at a distance of 405,425 km
October 15. New month. Observation time. The sky would be dark without the light of the Moon. It’s a good time to do Deep Sky or Milky Way astrophotography. At this time, the Moon rises almost at the same time as the Sun rises. So the Moon and Sun will be visible throughout the day. Observers can enjoy the planets without the interference of Moonlight.
22 October. Early New Month. The Moon will be visible from sunset until midnight when the Moon sets. Sky watchers can enjoy a moon-free sky from midnight until early morning.
26th of October. Moon at perigee. The moon reaches its closest distance to Earth, namely 364,872 km.
29 October. Full moon. The moon will be above the horizon from sunset until dawn. Good opportunity to observe the Moon and its craters. After the full moon phase, the Moon will slowly shift its rising time to night.
During this Full Moon phase, the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow and a Partial Lunar Eclipse occurs.
Eclipse
29 October – Partial Lunar Eclipse Scheme for the Partial Lunar Eclipse 29 October 2023
Before ending 2023, a partial lunar eclipse will be an interesting event in the night sky. This eclipse can be observed from East America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. This GBS can also be observed by observers in Indonesia.
Observers in Indonesia can watch the GBS event on October 28 from midnight until dawn. The eclipse lasts from 01:01:47 WIB to 05:26:20 WIB and the partial eclipse phase starts from 02:35:18 WIB to 03:52:39 WIB. The peak of the eclipse occurred on October 29 early morning at 03:14:03 WIB.
All regions in Indonesia can witness a partial lunar eclipse. However, for the Papua region, the Moon sets when it is still in partial eclipse or near the end of the partial eclipse phase. Meanwhile, Maluku, Sulawesi, Bali, NTT, NTB, Kalimantan and parts of Java, the eclipse ends during the final stages of the partial eclipse and penumbral eclipse. Parts of western Java and Sumatra can witness the entire eclipse process.
Meteor Rain
October 9 — Draconid Meteor Shower Draconid meteor shower on October 9 2023 at 19:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
This minor meteor shower, which appears to come from the Draco constellation, will take place from October 6 – 10. The peak was on October 9 with a rate of 10 meteors per hour. The Draconid meteor shower originates from the remaining dust from comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner. This meteor shower can be enjoyed after sunset until the Draco constellation sets at 21:32 WIB.
It is quite difficult to find this constellation because its position is quite low on the horizon. The new moon rises at 01:47 WIB so look for an observation location that is free of light pollution to hunt for Draconid meteors.
October 10-11 – South Taurid Meteor Shower The peak of the South Taurid meteor shower will be on October 10 2023 at 21:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
The Taurid meteor shower originates from dust grains from Asteroid 2004 TG10 and the remaining dust from Comet 2P Encke, lasting from September 28 – December 2 and never producing more than 5 meteors per hour. Interestingly, this Taurid meteor shower is rich in fireballs.
The peak of the meteor shower that appeared to come from the constellation Taurus took place on October 10, with only 5 meteors per hour at a speed of only 28 km/second. Taurid meter rain can be observed after sunset when the constellation Taurus also rises in the east at 19:04 WIB until just before dawn when this constellation will set in the west. The new moon rises at 02:30 WIB.
October 21 – Orionid Meteor Shower The peak of the Orionid meteor shower will be on October 21 2023 at 00:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
The Orionid meteor shower, which originates from the remaining dust from Halley’s Comet, will return to the night sky from September 26 to November 22. As the name suggests, the Orionid meteor shower appears to emerge from the constellation Orion the Hunter and reaches its peak on October 20-21.
During peak night, the Orionid meteor shower produces 25 meteors per hour at a speed of 66 km/second. The radiant of the Orionid meteor shower rises at 22:16 WIB and observers can enjoy the presence of this meteor shower until just before dawn. The moon sets at midnight when the constellation Orion is high enough in the night sky. Thus, observations of the Perseid meteor shower can be done without Moonlight starting at midnight.
Incident
October 2 — Moon — Jupiter Couple of Moon and Jupiter on October 2 2023 at 22:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
The moon passes Jupiter in the constellation Aries and can be observed since both rise if the observation horizon is not blocked. For urban areas, observations can be made when the Moon and Jupiter are slightly higher at midnight. The Moon and Jupiter are only 3.3º apart and both can be observed until dawn. Jupiter rises first at 20:01 WIB, followed by the Moon at 20:29 WIB.
October 11 — Moon — Venus Couple of Moon and Venus on October 11 2023 at 04:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
The moon passes some distance away from Venus in the constellation Leo and can be observed since both rise in the early hours of the morning. Venus rises at 02:48 WIB, followed by the Moon at 03:10 WIB. They are 6º apart. One day earlier, the Moon and Venus could be observed at a distance of 9º.
October 18 — Moon — Antares Moon and Antares pair on October 18 2023 at 19:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
The moon is in the constellation Scorpius at a distance of 2º from Antares, and can be observed after the sun sets until both of them also set on the western horizon. The moon sets at 20:46 WIB, followed by Antares 6 minutes later at 20:50 WIB. Observers in the Middle East can watch Antares disappear behind the Moon for 3 hours 15 minutes.
October 20 — Mercury’s Superior Conjunction Mercury at superior conjunction is very close to the Sun. Credit: Stellarium
Mercury will pass so close to the Sun in the sky that the planet will disappear and will not be visible to observers on Earth. When superior conjunctionthe Sun is between Mercury and Earth, and only 0.7° from the Sun.
When Mercury is at its farthest from Earth, it will be at a distance of 1.42 AU from Earth. If Mercury can be observed, then this planet is very faint with a disk diameter of 4.7 arc seconds.
Mercury’s superior conjunction event marks the end of the planet’s appearance at dawn and begins its transition to appearing at dusk in a few weeks.
October 24 — Maximum Western Elongation of Venus Venus at Sunrise on October 24, 2023. Credit: Stellarium
Venus and the Sun form a maximum angle to Earth. The maximum western elongation achieved by Venus is 46.6º. This means that Venus will be at an altitude of 46.4º to the east of the Sun. Venus, which is in the constellation Leo, can be observed with a brightness of -4.3 magnitude from when it rises at 02:43 WIB until the sun rises at 05:25 WIB.
October 24 — Moon — Saturn Couple of Moon and Saturn on October 24 2023 at 19:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
The Moon and Saturn appear paired in the sky and can be observed after sunset. The two objects are only 2.7º apart and can be observed until early morning when Saturn sets at 01:56 WIB followed by the Moon at 02:22 WIB.
Constellations & Milky Way
Mid-October is the best time to enjoy the beauty of the night sky when the Moon is in the New Moon phase. The Milky Way can be observed after sunset until just before midnight stretching from Northeast to Southwest.
After sunset there are Antares in Scorpius, Spica in Virgo, Rigel Kentaurus and Hadar in Centaurus, the Crux constellation which can be observed until just before midnight. Apart from that, there is Vega in the Lyra constellation, Altair in the Aquila constellation, Deneb in the Cygnus constellation which can be observed until midnight. Also the Archenar in the constellation Eridani can die until dawn.
Starting at midnight there are Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus, Rigel and Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion, Canopus in the constellation Carina, Sirius in the constellation Canis Major, Capella in the constellation Auriga, as well as Procyon in the constellation Canis Minor which can be observed until dawn. In the early hours of the morning there were Pollux and Castor in the constellation Gemini. Before dawn there is Regulus in the constellation Leo.
These stars are bright enough to be used as a guide for observations.
Star Map October 1, 2023
Star Map October 1 2023 at 19:00 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
Star Map October 1 2023 at 23:59 WIB. Credit: Stellarium
Star Chart October 15, 2023
Star Map October 15 2023 at 19:00 WIB.
Star Map October 15 2023 at 23:59 WIB.
Dark Sky Campaign
October 4 – 13 — Campaign Globe At Night
In October, Campaign Globe At Night or The dark skies campaign to raise awareness of the importance of dark skies and the effects of light pollution is being held from 4 – 13 October. Observers are invited to observe predetermined constellations from various locations to identify the stars that can be seen in those constellations. How many stars can be recognized will be an indication of the level of light pollution in the area.
For this campaign, observers in the north are invited to observe the Pegasus constellation and the Cygnus constellation, while those in the southern hemisphere observe the Pegasus constellation and the Grus constellation from 20:00 – 22:00 local time.
The goal is to find out how many stars in the constellation are visible.
Observers can use the module provided to identify stars and see the level of light pollution at their location.
Clear Skies!
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2023-10-04 01:03:25
#Sky #Phenomenon #October #LangitSouth
