BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Saturn will be a fine sight each evening in October, especially for observers with telescopes. The planet will be easy to spot 30 degrees high in the southern sky during the first few hours of darkness, and it won't set until 3 a.m. early in the month and 1 a.m. at month's end. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, will be north of the planet on the mornings of Oct. 8 and 24 and south on Oct. 16. Titan will be a good target for small telescopes.
Jupiter will be the brightest object in the evening sky after the moon this month. It will be visible all evening below the Square of Pegasus in the constellation Pisces. Jupiter will be 45 degrees high in the south around 11 p.m. in early October, and earlier as the month passes.
Mars will be a striking object in the constellation Taurus on Oct. 1. The Red Planet will rise around 10 p.m. and brighten during the month. It will form a triangle with two bright red giant stars, Betelgeuse to its south and Aldebaran to its west. Mars will be overhead around 5 a.m. local time, the best time for observing it as it approaches its opposition in early December.
Mercury will make its best morning appearance of the year in October for those watching in the Northern Hemisphere. The smallest planet will rise in the east 68 minutes before the sun on Oct. 1, and it will be 7 degrees high 45 minutes before sunrise.
Venus will be out of sight behind the sun during October. It will reappear in the evening sky later in the year.
Meteor shower
The Orionid meteor shower will peak on the night of Oct. 20-21. Moonlight will not interfere. Observers may see as many as 20 Orionid meteors per hour in a clear dark sky. The Orionids appear to originate from the constellation Orion, which will rise before midnight in the east-southeast. The number of meteors will increase as Orion gets higher. The shower will be active for most of October, with meteors gradually increasing from the start and declining after the peak. The Orionid meteors are caused by dust particles from Halley's Comet, left behind in the comet's orbit.
Moon phases
The moon will be at first quarter on Oct. 2, full on Oct. 9, at last quarter on Oct. 17, and new on Oct. 25.
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