Posted on 09/30/2020 11:23:34 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The bonus this particular October will be Mars at its most dazzling in 17 years. Then you have Jupiter and Saturn getting a little closer each night, Uranus at opposition in Aries, two full moons including a blue moon on Halloween, an asteroid named Flora at opposition, the usual close conjunctions of the moon with some of the planets, a very close conjunction of Venus and Regulus, and favorable conditions for not one, but two meteor showers – the Draconids on the Oct. 8 and the Orionids on Oct. 21.
Mars will be the magnificent star on our celestial stage for all of this month. It doubled in brightness last month as the earth was rapidly catching up with the red planet in our respective orbits, and now that we have caught it, it will even outshine Jupiter. Mars will be closest to Earth on the Oct. 6 and it will reach opposition on Oct. 13, when it will rise at sunset and not set until sunrise. This only happens once every 26 months, based on how we both orbit the sun, but some of these oppositions can be much better than others. This will be one of the best. Although not as close as the last one in July of 2018, which was a perihelic opposition, meaning that its perihelion or closest approach to the sun coincided with its closest approach to Earth, this one will be fully 30 degrees higher above our horizon, allowing for much better views of our neighboring and still mysterious planet.
(Excerpt) Read more at pressherald.com ...
Who had bets on “Celestial Mayhem” for October 2020?
:D
Wow! Lots going on with our heavenly bodies this month......thanks for posting this information!
I have an old Russian made 6” Maksutov Newtonian that I have not set up for years. I guess it’s time to bring it out. I really prefer dark skies and light buckets, but Mars should be a nice view.
Disclaimer: I paid for the Russian telescope. It was not a bribe, and I’m not a Russian BOT.
We had clear skies last night. The moon was nearly full and blazingly bright, and Mars was nearby as bright as I ever recall seeing him. The moon’s light outshone street lights and blocked most other celestial sights, but Mars could stand on his own. I took out my Celestron ED-100 spotting scope (100 mm x 540mm FL) and attached my Sony A-6000 (APS-C) mirrorless camera via eyepiece projection (Celestron 8 mm - 24 mm) resulting in an effective focal length of about 3000 mm. I am going to try tonight with my Celestron C8 on a Vixen equatorial mount. Wish me luck.
Cool !
I have a set of Orion 100x25 binoculars. When you look at the full moon through them you see not a flat disc, but a huge 3 dimensional ball magically suspended in the sky above you, which is what the moon really is.
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