astronomy
The
Night Sky WITH THIS MONTH’S SHINING OCTOBER NIGHT SKY WHEN WE CAN WELCOME BACK LONGER AND COOLER EVENINGS FOR OBSERVING
W
e can look forward to another beautiful Meteor shower - The Orionids - which will of course seem to emanate from the slowly returning constellation of Orion: one of my favourites. We can follow the vast clouds of the Milky Way as they traverse the skies overhead, passing through (looking from east to west) the constellations of: Auriga, Perseus, Cassiopeia and Cygnus. As you face south, and looking just below the clouds and dusty lanes of the Milky Way, the main constellations and features to observe will be: ▪ Orion will be rising in the east, later in the night and towards the end of the month ▪ Taurus (The Bull): towards the east with its very prominent orange star Aldebaran, also known as the 'Eye of the Bull'. ▪ The Pleiades open star cluster is a little higher and west of Taurus and is a stunning sight through binoculars ▪ The Andromeda Galaxy, M31 will be visible on a clear night to the naked eye as a bright smudge of light (also beautiful through binoculars) ▪ Pegasus will be well placed to the south where you can find the 'Great Square of Pegasus' The Moon and Planets The Full Moon will be on the 20th this month and the New Moon is on the 6th. Some of the best nights to observe detailed features on the Moon will be during its many different crescent phases. If you have binoculars then it is possible to search along the 'Terminator' where the lit and shaded areas of the Moon meet. Some of the best dates for seeing details on the surface of the Moon will be from the 1st to the 4th, before New Moon and from the 9th to the 16th. These dates will show the Moon in various crescent phases when light contrasts make for much better views. A
thin crescent Moon can be seen very close to the stars Algieba and Regulus (in Leo) in the eastern morning twilight of the 3rd. The planet Venus will be close to Antares for a few days low in the south west after sunset with a waxing crescent Moon passing just above them. On the evening of the 14th the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn will form a triangle towards the south east. On the 15th the Moon will be even closer to Jupiter. The two bright colourful stars of Gemini - Castor and Pollux - will form a line with a waning gibbous Moon on the evening of the 27th. Look out for them just north of east after midnight. It may be possible to spot the planet Mercury during the second part of the month. It will be very low, rising in the east just ahead of the Sun. Be sure not to observe for too long as the planet is lost in the Sun's glare.
By Clair Wardla e w
Claire Wardlaw, originally from Edinburgh, lives in the Charente with her husband. Since their move nearly 6 years ago, Claire has become passionate about astronomy
Join our Facebook group ‘Astronomy & Astrophotography France’ Full Moon on the 20th will be somewhat in the way. If you are planning an evening of Meteor spotting a date when the Moon is less bright would be better. Allow your eyes to become adjusted to the dark. Lie back on a 'meteor lounger' or on the ground where you have a wide open view of the sky. The Meteors' radiant will be in the constellation of Orion. There is a fainter shower - 'The Southern Taurids' - which may have its peak on the 10th when the Moon is in a crescent phase. This faint shower has produced bright fireballs in past years. This shower is active from September through to November and has only around 5 meteors per hour. Object of the Month; Globular Clusters
There are many different things to be seen in our beautiful dark skies here in Shining a light on Astronomy France. Globular Clusters can be Jargon: The Zenith stunning targets to view with the aid of The Zenith, which you will often see binoculars or telescopes. These objects, marked with an X on a sky chart, is of which there are around 150 in our own simply the point of the sky which is Milky Way, are formed by very old stars directly above an (over 10 billion observer. This is years old) bound These objects, of which therefore the point of the tightly together. there are around 150 in sky which has an altitude The first Globular our own Milky Way, are of 90 degrees. Cluster to be discovered was formed by very old stars Meteor showers M22. It was (over 10 billion years old) in October observed by the bound tightly together amateur The Orionids annual astronomer J meteor shower returns Abraham Ihle in 1665. M13, which is also this month, from the 5th to the 30th. The known as 'The Hercules' or 'Great peak (when meteor activity is likely to be Globular' (see next page for images) is at its highest) will be on the 21st this found in the Constellation of Hercules. I year. These meteors are associated with have viewed and imaged this spectacular Halley's Comet (Comet 1P/ Halley). object many times as it is such an During the Orionids the Earth will be amazing sight. passing near the dust trail left by the orbiting Halley's Comet. Each tiny Observing/ Imaging Challenge particle which hits our atmosphere for October results in a Meteor which we can observe with the naked eye. These Meteors will As mentioned earlier, the Orion Meteor be fast and often leave persistent trains shower can have bright meteors with which can be wonderful imaging persistent trains. Some objects however, opportunities. We may be able to observe are best viewed with optical aids. These around 25 per hour although the bright will be easy to spot or image on a night
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