![]() ![]() will see a similar event on the first day of 2023. (For example, residents of Denver see Uranus appear at about 11:52 P.M. The timing of the event is heavily location-dependent but occurs around 11:45 P.M. It’s challenging to see magnitude 5.7 Uranus reappear near such a bright Moon, but there’ll be lots of interest. Others will see a near miss, with Uranus south of the Moon. Uranus currently lies in the sparse regions of southeastern Aries. The next planet along the ecliptic, Uranus, is occulted by the Moon Oct. Note how the time between each moon and shadow transit stretches as October progresses - a feature of Earth’s changing view of the Jupiter system relative to the direction of sunlight. 24 for East Coast observers only all times are again EDT). These transits (moon, shadow) occur at 7:53 P.M. Io and its shadow transit the day after each of the Europa events. (Some or all events occur late on the 22nd in western time zones.) Also on the 22nd, Ganymede is occulted by Jupiter at 11:30 P.M. 23, events are in a slightly different order: Europa transits starting at 1:18 A.M., Io disappears at 2:11 A.M., and Europa’s shadow slips onto the disk at 2:36 A.M. (the last two events are on the 16th for those in the Eastern time zone only). 8, Europa’s transit begins at 8:49 P.M., its shadow begins to transit at 9:25 P.M., and Io disappears at 10:42 P.M. Each of these is followed by an Io transit on the evenings of Oct. A series of Europa transits followed by Io occultations occur Oct. Past opposition, the moons transit ahead of their shadows. The four Galilean moons - Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - orbit with periods of two to 16 days. Be patient and wait for fleeting moments of atmospheric stillness that offer the most incredible views of the gas giant. Watch for the Great Red Spot’s occasional appearance. Brownish belts straddle the equator and carry additional spots and festoons across the central median in minutes. Jupiter’s dynamic atmosphere is its main attraction. local time in early October this occurs progressively earlier as the month flows on. Early evening views are nice, and things only improve as Jupiter moves above 45° altitude around 11 P.M. It stands in southern Pisces, below the Square of Pegasus.Īfter opposition in late September, Jupiter maintains an apparent diameter of 50" for a few days into October, diminishing slightly to 48" by the end of the month. It is visible all evening, shining at magnitude –2.9. Jupiter is the brightest object in the evening sky aside from the Moon. Neptune glows at magnitude 7.7 a telescope reveals its dim bluish disk, spanning 2". A bright gibbous Moon lies 3° south of Neptune late on Oct. Binoculars will reveal it about 5.5° south of Lambda (λ) Piscium. ![]() Neptune is a month past opposition and well placed nearly all night in eastern Aquarius, a few degrees south of the Circlet of Pisces. The ice giant starts the month about 9.5° west-southwest of the brighter planet. You can easily find Neptune by using Jupiter as a guide. You’ll find it 8' due west of Saturn, with a trio of stars of similar magnitude to the moon’s north. By late October, Iapetus’ brighter hemisphere is facing us, increasing its magnitude to 10. 3 in the U.S., you can spot this 11th-magnitude moon a mere 18" southeast of the planet. 24, the day after Saturn reaches a stationary point on its retrograde loop. 4 inferior conjunction to reach western elongation Oct. Fainter Tethys, Dione, and Rhea, all magnitude 10, change relative locations from night to night. You’ll find it north of Saturn the mornings of Oct. Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, shines at magnitude 8.5 - an easy target for small telescopes. Their apparent tilt to our line of sight is 15°, with their northern face sunlit. The rings span 40" across their long axis, an overwhelming sight. As Earth pulls away from Saturn after August’s opposition, the disk shrinks by about 3 percent this month. The disk spans 18", with its polar diameter a smaller 16". No one ever forgets their first view of this magnificent planet. Saturn is elegant when viewed through a telescope at low magnification - set in a wealth of black sky, it resolves into a beautiful disk surrounded by its ring system. You’ll find Saturn a pleasant 30° high in the southern sky during the first few hours of darkness. The ringed planet glows at magnitude 0.5, making it the brightest feature of Capricornus except when the Moon is around on Oct. in early October, and shortly before 1 A.M. ![]() It’s visible at nightfall and doesn’t set until nearly 3 A.M. Swing your telescope to eastern Capricornus for a fine view of Saturn each evening this month. ![]()
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