Busy week up in the sky
(WHSV) - Some planet viewings, Mercury’s elongation, and this month’s full moon come up this week up in the sky plus more!
MOON POSES WITH A FEW PLANETS
This week, the moon will be close to Jupiter at one point and close to Saturn at another point up in the sky.
Wednesday evening after sunset, look in the low southeastern sky as the moon will be just a palm’s width to the lower left of Saturn. These two will be close enough to share a view binoculars. As the night progresses, the moon will move to Saturn’s upper left.
Around dusk Saturday evening when Jupiter rises in the eastern sky, you’ll be able to view the moon close to the planet. The moon will be several finger widths below Jupiter which will allow for both to be viewed in the same pair of binoculars all night long. Just before daybreak early Sunday morning, the moon will have moved above Jupiter.
MERCURY IN ELONGATION
Saturday morning, Mercury will reach a maximum angle of 18 degrees from the sun and reach its peak visibility. Mercury will be rising in the eastern sky around an hour before sunrise. Viewing it in a telescope, Mercury will be half-illuminated.
FULL HUNTER’S MOON
On Sunday at 4:55 pm, we will have this month’s full moon. October’s full moon is typically called the Hunter’s Moon but is also referred to as the Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon. This full moon is the Hunter’s Moon because, during October, hunting season gets underway. The full moon for October gets the names Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon to represent the turning of autumn leaves and the dying back of plants.
The moon will rise at 6:55 pm Sunday evening and be in the sky all night. The moon will then set Monday morning at 7:59 am.
LOSING DAYLIGHT
We are continuing to lose daylight. This week we will chop off another 17 minutes of daylight. By October 10th, we will be down to 11 hours and 25 minutes of daylight and up to 12 hours and 35 minutes of nighttime. Sunrise will move from 7:13 am to 7:19 am. Sunsets will move from 6:55 pm to 6:44 pm.
Daily Sunrise/Sunset Times this week:
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | 7:13 am | 6:55 pm | 11 hrs, 42 mins |
| Oct 4 | 7:14 am | 6:53 pm | 11 hrs, 39 mins |
| Oct 5 | 7:15 am | 6:52 pm | 11 hrs, 37 mins |
| Oct 6 | 7:15 am | 6:50 pm | 11 hrs, 35 mins |
| Oct 7 | 7:16 am | 6:49 pm | 11 hrs, 33 mins |
| Oct 8 | 7:17 am | 6:47 pm | 11 hrs, 30 mins |
| Oct 9 | 7:18 am | 6:46 pm | 11 hrs, 28 mins |
ISS VIEWING (MOST VIEWABLE)
| Date | Visible | Max Height | Appears | Disappears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday Oct 3, 8:46 pm | 3 min | 42° | 10° above WNW | 42° above SW |
| Tuesday Oct 4, 7:57 pm | 5 min | 80° | 10° above NW | 22° above SE |
NEXT MOON PHASES
| Moon Phases | Date and Time |
|---|---|
| Full Moon | October 9th, 4:54 pm |
| Third Quarter Moon | October 17th, 1:15 pm |
| New Moon | October 25th, 6:48 am |
| First Quarter Moon | November 1st, 2:37 am |
CURRENT PLANET VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES
Venus: No good view this week. Rises just before sunrise in the east and right around sunset in the west. Located very close to the sun up in the sky.
Mars: Currently rising between 10:15 and 10:30 pm in the east-northeastern sky, best visibility an hour or two before sunrise.
Jupiter: Rising just before sunset in the eastern sky and visible pretty much all night, sets in the west just before 6 am.
Saturn: Currently rising before sunset in the east-southeastern sky and setting by 2:30 am in the west-southwestern sky.
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