Moon October begins with an evening moon, a slim waxing crescent in the west just 
after sundown. It passes above Venus on the 1st, above Scorpius on the 3rd, and 
through Sagittarius (look for the eight stars of the “teapot”) on the 4th and 5th. First- 
quarter moon is on October 6, full moon (in Aries, but well to the left of the vernal equi- 
nox) on the 1 3th, last-quarter (just below the twin stars of Gemini) on the 1 9th, and new 
moon on the 27th. In November, first-quarter is on the 4th, full moon (with perigee and 
spring tides) on the 11th. 
Stars and Planets We had a sky full of evening stars in September, but the evening 
sky falls apart in October when Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto shift into the 
morning sky. The sole planet seen in the evening sky this month is Venus, and that is 
only because it is bright enough to stand out in the early twilight after sundown. Look in 
the west from about half an hour after sunset until just before dark. This isn’t a good 
evening visit for Venus, however. The morning sky isn’t much better. Only Mars is in 
good position, well up in the southeast by daybreak, but rather dim. Fortunately, it can 
be recognized near Regulus, the bright star of Leo, which it joins as a “twin” star late in 
the month. Even though they shift from the evening to the morning sky, the planets are 
still gathered in or near the constellation Virgo. The sun remains in Virgo all month 
(moving into Libra for November), along with Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. 
Venus, Uranus, and Neptune are just east of Virgo. Venus is in Libra, but moves into 
Scorpius and then Ophiuchus. Uranus is in Libra and Neptune is in Ophiuchus; while 
Mars remains in Leo all month, just west of Virgo. 
October 1: The moon passes well above brilliant Venus. 
October 5: Saturn, in conjunction with the sun, enters the morning sky. 
October 6: Mercury is stationary, poised for its retrograde (westerly) motion through 
the stars. 
October 1 1 : Look for the Square of Pegasus (four stars arranged in a box) above the 
gibbous moon. The moon is just below the vernal equinox (also called the First Point of 
Aries), but won’t be in Aries until the 13th. 
October 13: This is the night of the hunter’s moon, the full moon of October, which 
appears full or nearly full and rises at or shortly after sunset for the next three nights. 
October 14: Jupiter’s turn to enter the morning sky comes today when it is in 
conjunction with the sun. 
October 18: Mercury becomes a morning star today when it passes between the earth 
and the sun (inferior conjunction). 
October 19: Mars has been moving east toward Regulus, in Leo. Today it passes 
above the star. Look in the southeast before dawn for the two objects. 
October 21: The Orionid meteor shower reaches maximum this morning, at its best 
from 2:00 a.m. on. The shower is not particularly productive (about 25 meteors per 
hour), but some very bright meteors result from this swift stream, believed to be 
associated with Halley’s comet. 
October 22: The waning crescent moon passes Regulus and Mars and is visible in the 
morning sky. 
October 25: Daylight time ends at 2:00 a.m. 
October 26: Mercury resumes direct (easterly) motion. 
October 31: The crescent moon passes Venus in the evening sky. 
November 2: Mercury, at greatest distance east of the sun, is in good position in the 
morning sky. Look before sunrise below the star Arcturus. 
November 5: There is a good chance to see Mercury today, just above Jupiter, rising 
in the east before the sun. 
November 10: Venus is at greatest easterly elongation, but this is not a good evening 
configuration for the planet. 
The autumn Star Map shows the sky from the mid-latitudes (40° N) of the Northern 
Hemisphere during the evening hours given below. To use the map, hold it in front of you verti- 
cally with the letter N at the bottom, and match the lower half of the map with the stars you see 
when you face north. As you face in other directions, turn the map to bring the corresponding 
compass direction to the bottom of the map when facing you. The stars move west continuously 
throughout the night. By morning (before dawn) stars on the western half of the map will have 
set, those on the eastern half will have moved into the west, and new stars (those of the spring 
evenings) will have risen in the east. 
The map represents the sky at about 2:00 a.m. on October 1; 1:00 a.m. on October 15; 
midnight on October 31; 1 1 :00 p.m. on November 15; 10:00 P.M. on November 30; 9:00 p.m. on 
December 15; and 8:00 P.M. on December 31. Add one hour for daylight time. The map can be 
used for an hour or more before and after the times given. 
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