Saturday: Since
Halloween is later this month, the stores are filled with bags of candy
clusters. Instead, take time to look at a star cluster. The Hyades cluster is
an open star cluster that represents the V-shaped face of Taurus the bull. It
is one of the biggest and nearest star clusters with about 200 stars 150 light
years away. The Hyades cluster was the first cluster to be the subject of
detailed motion studies. These studies allowed astronomers to pinpoint the
distance to the Hyades and provide important information about the scale of the
universe. Aldebaran, nearly two fists held upright and at arm’s length above the
east horizon at 11 p.m., is a foreground star and not a part of the Hyades
cluster.
Sunday: The
Draconid meteor shower peaks for the next three nights. The meteors appear to
come from a point in the head of Draco, the dragon constellation. This point is
about five fists held upright and at arm’s above the northwest horizon at 10
p.m. tonight. This point remains near the trapezoid-shaped head of Draco
throughout the night. Typically, this is a minor shower. However, Draconid
meteors are slow moving which means you will have a easy time differentiating
true Draconid meteors, from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, from stray grains of
dust that happen to enter the Earth’s atmosphere near where we see the
constellation Draco. The moon will set long before the nightly peak so there
will be little natural light obscuring the dim meteors. As your Mother might
say, dress warm and sit in a comfortable chair for maximum enjoyment. For
everything you need to know about the Draconid meteor shower, go to http://goo.gl/HGkw0w.
Monday:
Can you see a planet during the day? Sure you can. Look around you at the
Earth. But can you see a planet in the sky during the day? Yes, with the help
of the moon. At 6 p.m., find the crescent moon one and a half fists above the
southwest horizon. Then make a fist and hold it horizontal to the left of the
moon. The planet Venus will be on the left side of your fist. If you wait less
than an hour, the Sun will have set and you’ll definitely see Venus to the left
of the moon and Saturn a little farther to the lower right.
Tuesday: The
bright star Arcturus is a fist and a half above the west horizon at 8 p.m.
Wednesday:
The constellation Vulpecula, the fox, stands high in the south at
nightfall. It is in the middle of the Summer Triangle, which is defined by the
stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The fox is so faint that you need dark skies to
see it.
Thursday: While
you are resting after looking for Draconid meteors for two nights, start
thinking about the Orionid meteor shower. This shower, which consists of the
earth colliding with pieces of the remains of Halley's Comet's tail, peaks on
the morning of October 21 but produces meteors from now until early November.
These meteors appear to come from a point in Orion, the hunter. This point is
about three fists above the southeast horizon at 1 a.m. tonight. You can follow
this point throughout the night as it will remain one fist above the prominent
reddish star Betelgeuse (pronounced Bet'-el-jews). The Orionid meteors are fast
- up to 40 miles per second.
Friday: Tonight’s
first quarter moon is in the constellation Sagittarius the archer.
The
positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically
accurate for the entire week.
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