Skywatch: Jupiter, king of the planets, rises to luminous dominion

Saturn – our solar system’s other large gaseous planet – is now rising in front of Jupiter in the late afternoon and lingers near the goat shape Capricorn. In early October, the ringed planet rules at +0.5 magnitude, which is bright enough to be seen in urban skies. At sunset it is approximately 30 degrees above the horizon and due south at 10 p.m

Everyone’s favorite Mars now rising east-northeast very early in October around 22:00, but you can glimpse Earth’s reddish neighbor later in the evening near the horns of bull. The planet marches towards its own opposition in December and is getting brighter from our Earth perspective.

Mars started 2022 weak at +1.5 magnitude, according to the observatory, but has moved toward brilliance throughout the year. Mars appears in the first week of October at -0.7 magnitude (bright) and continues to blind. In early November, the red planet will be noticeably brighter at -1.4 magnitude.

Like an annoying little sibling that moon follow the planets in the night sky this month. Look south on October 4-5, when the moon passes Saturn in the first quarter, according to the observatory. Our lunar pal approaches Jupiter on October 7th and slips close on October 8th. The full moon is on October 9th and the waning crescent moon approaches Mars on October 13th and glides past the planet on October 14th and 15th.

Venus reaches upper conjunction (hidden by the harsh sunlight) and (barely) emerges from his autumn break in December.

That Orionids The meteor shower is expected to peak on the night of October 21-22, according to the American Meteor Society. With a peak of 20 shooting stars per hour, that’s a normal price for the shower. Observers can see a handful of shooting stars.

Meteors are formed when the earth – on its annual journey around the sun – encounters the dusty trails of passing comets. The dust and tiny pebbles smash into our atmosphere and burn, giving us a show. The Orionids’ parent comet is an old, historical friend: halley.

Nature presents a part solar eclipse on October 25, but it will only be visible in Europe, Northeast Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia, according to Eclipse expert Fred Espenak, who runs the website EclipseWise.com.

* 7 Oct — Learn more about the effects of DART, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, in a September 26 talk on protecting Earth from extraterrestrial impacts. The speakers are Andrew Cheng and Andrew Rivkin, both from the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. The scientists were co-leaders of the DART mission. Hosted by PSW Science. 8 p.m., Powell Auditorium at the Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Ave. NW in DC information: pswscience.org. Registration for the lecture: shorturl.at/ARU48. (Mask and corona vaccination certificate compulsory.) Registration for the zoom webinar: shorturl.at/BIZ17. Lecture will be broadcast live on YouTube: shorturl.at/DMSW9.

* 8 Oct — “Multi-messenger Astronomy,” a presentation by Rita Sambrunna, associate director of astrophysics at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, at the regular meeting of the National Capital Astronomers. 7:30 p.m. To access the online meeting, visit: capitalastronomers.org.

* 9 Oct — “The Birth of Supermassive Black Holes,” a talk by Jenny Greene, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton, discussing how these cosmic beasts form. While Greene will present virtually, members and guests are welcome in person at the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club meeting, Room 3301, Exploratory Hall, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. 7:30 p.m. Info: novac.com. Remote meeting details: shorturl.at/AQ069.

* 29 Oct — Bright planets are featured at Astronomy for Everyone at Sky Meadows State Park in Fauquier County, Virginia. NASA Jet Propulsion Lab ambassadors offer an astronomy program, while members of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club offer telescopic views. 6-9 p.m. GPS: 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, Virginia, 20144. Info: novac.com. Parking Fee: $10.

Blaine Friedlander can be reached at [email protected].