This is what heaven offers in October
Biggest full moon of the year and super-fast Orionids
September 30, 2024, 9:22 a.m
The new month features the biggest full moon of the entire year – and at the same time extreme tides and spring tides on the coasts. Very fast shooting stars dart across the sky. And the sun also offers a spectacle – but that cannot be seen in this country.
The full moon in October occurs at 1:26 p.m. on the 17th, with the moon in the constellation of Pisces on the cusp of Aries. On the same day it comes close to Earth at just 357,174 kilometers. You can see the biggest full moon of the year.
The coincidence of the full moon and proximity to the Earth leads – once again – to extreme tides. Spring tides are expected on the coasts. Any autumn storms can intensify this effect.
Planets in autumn
Saturn with its rings, captured by the camera of the Cassini space probe.
(Photo: picture alliance/dpa)
In October, after dark, the ringed planet Saturn can be seen high in the eastern sky in the constellation Aquarius. Saturn is represented in the firmament throughout the night. It gradually retreats from the morning sky. On the night of the 14th to 15th, the almost full moon passes Saturn.
Venus also appears in the evening sky. However, it is not particularly noticeable yet. After sunset they can be spotted deep in the southwest. On the 26th it passes the red giant sun Antares in Scorpio. At the beginning of October, Venus sets shortly before 8 p.m., and half an hour earlier at the end of the month.
Jupiter becomes the planet of the entire night. It rises shortly before ten o’clock in the evening on the first of the month and two hours earlier at the end of the month. The giant planet dominates the night sky with its splendor after Venus has set long before it rises.
Mars in Gemini appears earlier and earlier in the northeastern sky. If it rises half an hour before midnight on the 1st, it will cross the eastern horizon line on the 31st a quarter of an hour before 11 p.m. Mars brightness increases significantly over the course of the month. At the end of October, Mars leaves Gemini and moves into the constellation Cancer.
You will look in vain for Mercury. The nimble planet does not show up in October.
Orionids – fast shooting stars on the move
You can also observe plenty of shooting stars in October.
(Photo: imago images/7aktuell)
In addition to the Draconids, the Orionids, whose origin points to Halley’s Comet, are active from the beginning of October to the first week of November. The maximum of the shooting star stream is expected on October 22nd, with around 25 to 30 meteors per hour expected. The best viewing time is from midnight to 5 a.m. The Orionids are very fast shooting stars with entry speeds of around 65 kilometers per second.
In the evening, the autumn constellations take their place in the southern sky. At the zenith stands Cassiopeia, the well-known celestial W. The Star Square of Pegasus, known as the Autumn Quadrangle, has reached the midday line. The summer triangle with Vega, Deneb and Atair has moved to the west.
The autumn images also include Andromeda, which follows Pegasus. Her savior, the hero Perseus, is also represented as a constellation, as is the sea monster Cetus, known in German as a whale. The Cetus takes its place in the southeast. It is difficult to see because it is only made up of faint stars.
Deep in the south, Fomalhaut, the main star of the Southern Fish image, twinkles. Fomalhaut is the Arabic name for fish mouth. South of Andromeda you can see the constellations Pisces and Aries. Aries is a small but striking constellation consisting primarily of three stars forming an obtuse triangle.
Two bright stars can be seen in the eastern sky. In the northeast, the yellowish chapel in the Fuhrmann flashes and, deep in the eastern sky, Aldebaran shines reddishly in the constellation Taurus, a harbinger of the coming winter.
Solar eclipse – but not over Europe
October begins with a solar eclipse, but it cannot be seen from Europe. On October 2nd at 8:49 p.m. the dark new moon will move in front of the sun and cover it. On the same day, however, the moon comes 406,516 kilometers away from Earth. The dark new moon disk is therefore slightly smaller than that of the sun.
The result is that the moon cannot completely cover the sun. A glowing ring of the sun remains around the new moon. The zone of the annular phase extends largely over the Pacific. It begins south of Hawaii, crosses the Pacific Ocean, touches the southern tip of South America and ends in the South Atlantic.
The sun reaches increasingly southerly positions in October. It travels through the constellation Virgo and changes to the constellation Libra early in the morning on the 31st. On the night of the 22nd to 23rd she enters the zodiac sign Scorpio at midnight. Their midday altitude decreases by eleven degrees and the day length shrinks by almost two hours.
Central European Summer Time ends on Sunday, October 27th. Clocks will go back one hour at 3 a.m. CEST.
