THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
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70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Altitude: 10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
Julian date: 2458757.5
2019-2020: XXI
"Heavens on the half shell."
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
October 2019 Night Sky Calendar Part I
*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3: MOON NEAR JUPITER*
The waxing crescent moon (29% illuminated) appears to pass near the
brilliant planet Jupiter tonight. As Jupiter is currently slightly
brighter than Sirius, neither the moon nor the planet will be difficult to
observe. This close passage is illusory, as the moon's distance today is
about 235,000 miles. Jupiter is presently 513.4 million miles from Earth.
The moon's greater prominence is a result of its closer proximity.
*SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5: FIRST QUARTER MOON*
The first quarter moon that occurs in early autumn is low in the sky. The
first quarter moon is 90 degrees from the Sun. So, too, is the low winter
solstice point along the Sun's path, called the "ecliptic." As the moon's
motions are confined to a belt centered on the ecliptic, the moon will
loiter around the winter solstice region tonight. Its low arc will convey
it from the southeastern to the southwestern sky. In the Greater Portland
area, it will rise at 2:15 p.m. and set at 11:25 p.m.
*SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5: MOON NEAR SATURN*
The first quarter moon will help observers find Saturn tonight, as the
ringed world is six times dimmer than Jupiter. One will observe both
the moon and planet within the southern constellation Sagittarius the
Archer. Lamentably, the lunar light interference will obscure the rich
starfields around Sagittarius.
[image: Q2pXs5AVF59BUBKysHpEP5-320-80.jpg]
*Sagittarius* will host *Saturn *and the *moon* this evening. As slow
moving Saturn completes an orbit around the Sun once every 29.5 years, it
spends long periods of time in each host constellation. Saturn will
remain in Sagittarius until April 2020.
*MONDAY, OCTOBER 7: BRILLIANT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FLY OVER*
We'll see the International Space Station quite a few times in October.
However, I wanted to include this "fly over," as the station will nearly
pass overhead. Also, at its brightest, it will shine as brilliantly as
Venus. Refer to the starmap below
The station rises in the west-northwest at 7:09 p.m. When it rises, the
ISS will be about as bright as Deneb, the alpha star in Cygnus the Swan.
The station will pass north of Bootes and will slice across Hercules'
knee. At 7:14 p.m. it will attain its maximum altitude of 81 degrees. At
this moment, the ISS will be as bright as Venus. After passing through the
Summer Triangle, it will fade while moving toward the southeast. The ISS
vanishes into the shadow in the southern Aquarius region (altitude 18
degrees) at 7:17 p.m. Just before disappearing, the ISS will be as bright
as Jupiter.
[image: PassSkyChart2.ashx.png]
*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10: APOGEE MOON*
Nothing to see, really. Consider this an academic event. The moon
will be at its greatest distance from Earth (405,899 kilometers) today.
The moon travels along an elliptical orbit, as do the planets.
Consequently, its distance from Earth varies from a near point (perigee) to
a far point (apogee). The period of time separating successive perigees
(called an anomalistic month) is about 27.4 days. The duration between
successive full moons (called a synodic month) is about 29,5 days. As
these durations are different, the moon is not usually at either perigee or
at apogee when full. When the moon is full at or near perigee, we
experience a "super moon." When the moon is full at or near apogee, we
experience a "micro moon." A super moon is 14% larger and 30% brighter
than a micro moon.
*SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13: FULL MOON*
[image:
ce2cdbe1-fe71-4e63-96d2-ffd47eefadef-large16x9_ae5bbf35135b4c2388f145817b91c32clarge16x9_21318997_10155684930317445_6084564128971018135_o.jpg]
The Hunter's moon! The Harvest Moon, defined as the full moon closest to
the autumnal equinox, can occur in either September or October. The
following full moon is termed "The Hunter's Moon." This year, the
Harvest Moon occurred in September and the Hunter's Moon fell in October.
(In 2020, the Harvest and Hunter's Moon both happen in October). The full
moon casts a luster onto the land, enabling hunters and others to navigate
around the obstructions the night world generally conceals.
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