the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
Psalm 8:3,4
(From Astronomy and Sky & Telescope Magazines)
Sunday, October 19
The Moon and Venus hang close together in the predawn sky, sharing the sky in the constellation Virgo. An hour before sunrise, look east to spot Venus, the brightest point of light above the horizon and climbing. The delicate crescent Moon lies to its upper right, just 4° to the planet’s west.
Monday, October 20
By 10 P.M. local daylight time, the Pleiades (M45) is already 30° high in the east. This
lovely naked-eye cluster is well known across the world, sparkling in northwestern Taurus. Several of its stars are visible without optical aid — most observers can see five to seven individual stars in the shape of a tiny dipper (although don’t confuse this with the much larger Little Dipper in the north).
Tuesday, October 21
Today is a busy day! Mercury passes 2° south of Mars at 2 A.M. EDT — we’ll observe the pair in the evening sky, along with a Titan transit of Saturn.
But first, the Orionid meteor shower peaks as the Moon reaches New phase at 8:25 A.M. EDT. Additionally, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) passes closest to Earth today, skimming some 28.6 million miles from our planet.
Let’s start with the Orionids, best viewed in the early-morning hours before sunrise. The shower’s radiant, the point from which its meteors appear to emanate, is highest in the sky around 5:30 A.M. local daylight time. Step outside and look south to locate the constellation Orion; the radiant is just above the Hunter’s red giant shoulder, Betelgeuse. If you’ve also got a clear northeastern horizon, Comet Lemmon is some 4° high by 6 A.M. local daylight time. The comet is now roughly even in altitude with blazing Venus, visible in Virgo, but Lemmon lies in Boötes, nearly 40° northeast of the planet.
Wednesday, October 22
With the sky clear of the nighttime Moon, try checking out the California Nebula (NGC
1499), located in southern Perseus. It reaches 45° in altitude by 11 P.M. local daylight time and is highest a few hours later, around 3 A.M.
You’ll find the California Nebula just 1° northeast of 4th-magnitude Xi (ξ) Persei — in fact, this star is the nebula’s light source, energizing the atoms of the cloud and making it glow. This huge nebula covers some 2.5° of sky along its long axis, and is 0.5° wide.
Thursday, October 23
The Moon passes 5° south of Mars at 9 A.M. EDT, then skims 2° south of Mercury at noon EDT.
Friday, October 24
The Moon passes 0.5° south of Antares at 9 P.M. EDT. However, the pair sets an hour and a half earlier; try catching them about 40 minutes after sunset, when they are low in the southwest.
Saturday, October 25
Shortly after sunset the thin waxing crescent moon will hang next to Antares just above the horizon.
The Moon and Venus hang close together in the predawn sky, sharing the sky in the constellation Virgo. An hour before sunrise, look east to spot Venus, the brightest point of light above the horizon and climbing. The delicate crescent Moon lies to its upper right, just 4° to the planet’s west.
Monday, October 20
By 10 P.M. local daylight time, the Pleiades (M45) is already 30° high in the east. This
Tuesday, October 21
Today is a busy day! Mercury passes 2° south of Mars at 2 A.M. EDT — we’ll observe the pair in the evening sky, along with a Titan transit of Saturn.
But first, the Orionid meteor shower peaks as the Moon reaches New phase at 8:25 A.M. EDT. Additionally, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) passes closest to Earth today, skimming some 28.6 million miles from our planet.
Let’s start with the Orionids, best viewed in the early-morning hours before sunrise. The shower’s radiant, the point from which its meteors appear to emanate, is highest in the sky around 5:30 A.M. local daylight time. Step outside and look south to locate the constellation Orion; the radiant is just above the Hunter’s red giant shoulder, Betelgeuse. If you’ve also got a clear northeastern horizon, Comet Lemmon is some 4° high by 6 A.M. local daylight time. The comet is now roughly even in altitude with blazing Venus, visible in Virgo, but Lemmon lies in Boötes, nearly 40° northeast of the planet.
Wednesday, October 22
With the sky clear of the nighttime Moon, try checking out the California Nebula (NGC
You’ll find the California Nebula just 1° northeast of 4th-magnitude Xi (ξ) Persei — in fact, this star is the nebula’s light source, energizing the atoms of the cloud and making it glow. This huge nebula covers some 2.5° of sky along its long axis, and is 0.5° wide.
Thursday, October 23
The Moon passes 5° south of Mars at 9 A.M. EDT, then skims 2° south of Mercury at noon EDT.
Friday, October 24
The Moon passes 0.5° south of Antares at 9 P.M. EDT. However, the pair sets an hour and a half earlier; try catching them about 40 minutes after sunset, when they are low in the southwest.
Saturday, October 25
Shortly after sunset the thin waxing crescent moon will hang next to Antares just above the horizon.
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