Eyes on the Sky Update
Oct. 30 – Nov. 5
Monday, Oct. 30 – Brilliant Jupiter rises over the east-northeast horizon tonight at 6 p.m. – just 10 minutes after sunset. The current Evening “Star,” Jupiter appeared near the full Hunter’s moon on Saturday night. Meanwhile Saturn, about 25 times dimmer than Jupiter, is at its highest in the south around 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 31 – Happy Halloween! It’s the eve of Hallowmas Day, in some calendars, the beginning of the “dark” season, the season when the sun is at its lowest in the sky, with shorter days and longer nights. Moon in Taurus tonight.
Wednesday, Nov. 1 – The current Morning “Star,” Venus, rises almost directly east at 3:30 a.m. By sunrise (about 7:30 a.m.), Venus is high in the southeast. In the evening sky, the waning gibbous moon rises from the northeast at 8:20 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 2 – Tonight, the 20-day-old, waning gibbous moon will be among the stars of Castor, the western twin of Gemini. By 6 a.m. the next morning, the moon will have moved to be among the stars of Pollux, the eastern twin of Gemini. Jupiter is directly opposite the sun during the night, technically, Jupiter is at “opposition.”
Friday, Nov. 3 – Orion’s belt stars rise over the eastern horizon after 9:30 p.m. while the stars of the Summer Triangle (Altair, Deneb and Vega) are getting lower in the west.
Saturday, Nov. 4 – Sirius, brightest star of the night sky, is at its highest in the south around 5 a.m. Sirius is the marker star of Canis Major, the Greater Dog constellation, and hence is known as the “Dog Star.”
Sunday, Nov. 5 – “Fall back” to Eastern Standard Time. Last quarter moon occurs at 3:37 a.m., it rises the previous night at 11:25 p.m. EDT and this evening at 11:30 p.m. EST.
Editor’s Note: Richard Monda, assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy in the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Department, publishes updates to his HVCC Eyes on the Sky, a YouTube video series, each week.