The Evening Sky Map FREE* EACH MONTH FOR YOU TO EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY THE NIGHT SKY Sky Calendar - October 2019 Get Sky Calendar on Twitter http://twitter.com/skymaps NORTHERN HEMISPHERE OCTOBER 2019 3 Moon near Antares (evening sky) at 7h UT. 3 Moon near Jupiter (evening sky) at 22h UT. Mag. -2.0. 5 First Quarter Moon at 16:47 UT. 5 Moon near Saturn (evening sky) at 21h UT. Mag. 0.5. Occupation visible from southern Africa. 10 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 18h UT (distance 405,899 km; angular size 29.4'). 13 Full Moon at 21:10 UT. 17 Moon near the Pleiades (morning sky) at 5h UT. 17 Moon near Aldebaran (morning sky) at 22h UT. 20 Mercury at greatest elongation east (25° from Sun, evening sky) at 4h UT. Mag. -0.1. 21 Last Quarter Moon at 12:40 UT. 21 Orionid meteor shower peaks at 17h UT. Arises from the debris field of Comet Halley. Active from October 2 to November 7. Produces very fast (67 km/sec), generally faint meteors (20 per hour). Radiant located near Orion's club asterism. Best observed after midnight on night of Oct 21-22. 22 Moon near Beehive cluster M44 (morning sky) at 6h UT. 23 Moon near Regulus (morning sky) at 20h UT. 26 Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 10:42 UT (361,311 km; angular size 33.1'). 26 Moon near Mars (18° from Sun, morning sky) at 21h UT. Mag. 1.8. 28 New Moon at 3:39 UT. Start of lunation 1198. 28 Uranus at opposition at 8h UT. Mag. 5.7. 29 Moon near Venus (20° from Sun, evening sky) at 16h UT. Mag. -3.9. Elusive Mercury (Mag. 0.2) is 3.0° South of Venus. 30 Moon near Antares (evening sky) at 17h UT. 31 Mercury 2.6° SSW of Venus (21° from Sun, evening sky) at 5h UT. Mags. 0.5 and -3.9. 31 Moon near Jupiter (evening sky) at 15h UT. Mag. -1.9. More sky events and links at http://Skymaps.com/skycalendar/ All times in Universal Time (UT). (USA Eastern Summer Time = UT - 4 hours.) SKY MAP SHOWS HOW THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS EARLY OCT 8 PM LATE OCT . (Add 1 Hour For Daylight Saving) #6. SKY MAP DRAWN FOR A LATITUDE OF 40° ^ NORTH AND IS % SUITABLE FOR LATITUDES UP ^ ^ TO 15° NORTH OR SOUTH » OF THIS maps ■ .com Symbols Galaxy 0 Double Star « Variable Star ® Diffuse Nebula □ Planetary Nebula A Open Star Cluster .7 Globular Star Cluster © SAVE ON RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS • http://Skymaps.com/store • Star Atlases & Planispheres • Star Charts & Astro Posters • Books for Sky Watchers • Telescopes & Binoculars ALL saLes support the production and free distribution of The Evening Sky Map. Star Magnitudes * T stm f„ '> wW i/pT ^ERm Tk, T Smatl attr active constellation nea Copyright © 2000-2019 Kym Thalassoudis. All Rights Reserved. NTH£ SKY. INSTRUCTIONS-. THE SKV MM’*' - TERMS OF USE: FREE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL EDUCATIONAL USE. ASTRONOMY EDUCATION GROUPS MAY FREELY DISTRIBUTE PRINTED HANDOUTS. FULL DETAILS AT http://Skymaps.com/terms.html About the Celestial Objects Listed on this page are several of the brighter, more interesting celestial objects visible in the evening sky this month (refer to the monthly sky map). The objects are grouped into three categories. Those that can be easily seen with the naked eye (that is, without optical aid), those easily seen with binoculars, and those requiring a telescope to be appreciated. Note, all of the objects (except single stars) will appear more impressive when viewed through a telescope or very large binoculars. They are grouped in this way to highlight objects that can be seen using the optical equipment that may be available to the star gazer. Tips for Observing the Night Sky When observing the night sky, and in particular deep-sky objects such as star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies, it's always best to observe from a dark location. Avoid direct light from street lights and other sources. If possible observe from a dark location away from the light pollution that surrounds many of today's large cities. You will see more stars after your eyes adapt to the darkness—usually about 10 to 20 minutes after you go outside. Also, if you need to use a torch to view the sky map, cover the light bulb with red cellophane. This will preserve your dark vision. Finally, even though the Moon is one of the most stunning objects to view through a telescope, its light is so bright that it brightens the sky and makes many of the fainter objects very difficult to see. So try to observe the evening sky on moonless nights around either New Moon or Last Quarter. Astronomical Glossary Conjunction - An alignment of two celestial bodies such that they present the least angular separation as viewed from Earth. Constellation - A defined area of the sky containing a star pattern. Diffuse Nebula - A cloud of gas illuminated by nearby stars. Double Star - Two stars that appear close to each other in the sky; either linked by gravity so that they orbit each other (binary star) or lying at different distances from Earth (optical double). Apparent separation of stars is given in seconds of arc ("). Ecliptic - The path of the Sun's center on the celestial sphere as seen from Earth. Elongation - The angular separation of two celestial bodies. For Mercury and Venus the greatest elongation occurs when they are at their most angular distance from the Sun as viewed from Earth. Galaxy - A mass of up to several billion stars held together by gravity. Globular Star Cluster - A ball-shaped group of several thousand old stars. Light Year (ly) - The distance a beam of light travels at 300,000 km/sec in one year. Magnitude - The brightness of a celestial object as it appears in the sky. Open Star Cluster - A group of tens or hundreds of relatively young stars. Opposition - When a celestial body is opposite the Sun in the sky. Planetary Nebula - The remnants of a shell of gas blown off by a star. Universal Time (UT) - A time system used by astronomers. Also known as Greenwich Mean Time. USA Eastern Standard Time (for example. New York) is 5 hours behind UT. Variable Star - A star that changes brightness over a period of time. Easily Seen with the Naked Eye ALtair Aql • Capella Aur • Arcturus Boo • 6 Cephei Cep Deneb Cyg • a Herculis Her Vega Lyr • Algol Per ® Fomalhaut PsA • Pleiades Tau Polaris UMi • Easily Seen wi M31 And M2 Aqr ® T| Aquilae Aql ® Cephei Cep ® x Cygni Cyg ® M39 Cyg v Draconis Dra • M13 Her ® M92 Her © e Lyrae Lyr • R Lyrae Lyr ® M12 Oph © M10 Oph © IC 4665 Oph 6633 Oph M15 Peg © Double Cluster Per M8 Sgr □ M25 Sgr M22 Sgr © Mizar 8< Alcor UMa • Cr 399 Vul Telescopic Obj y Andromedae And • 7009 Aqr A 7293 Aqr A y Arietis Ari • M51 CVn T| Cassiopeiae Cas • Albireo Cyg • 61 Cygni Cyg • Y Delphini Del • |3 Lyrae Lyr M57 Lyr A M23 Sgr M20 Sgr □ M21 Sgr M17 Sgr □ Mil Set M16 Ser □ M33 Tri M81 UMa 0 M27 Vul A Brightest star in Aquila. Name means "the flying eagle". Dist=16.7 ly. The 6th brightest star. Appears yellowish in color. Spectroscopic binary. Dist=42 Ly. Orange, giant K star. Name means "bear watcher". Dist=36.7 ly. Cepheid prototype. Mag varies between 3.5 & 4.4 over 5.366 days. Mag 6 companion. Brightest star in Cygnus. One of the greatest known supergiants. Dist=l,400+200 ly. Semi-regular variable. Magnitude varies between 3.1 & 3.9 over 90 days. Mag 5.4 companion. The 5th brightest star in the sky. A blue-white star. Dist=25.0 ly. Famous eclipsing binary star. Magnitude varies between 2.1 & 3.4 over 2.867 days. Brightest star in Piscis Austrinus. In Arabic the "fish's mouth". Dist=25 ly. The Seven Sisters. Spectacular cluster. Many more stars visible in binoculars. Dist=380 ly. The North Pole Star. A telescope reveals an unrelated mag 8 companion star. Dist=433 ly. with Binoculars The Andromeda Galaxy. Most distant object visible to naked eye. Dist=2.93 million ly. Resembles a fuzzy star in binoculars. Bright Cepheid variable. Mag varies between 3.6 8< 4.5 over 7.166 days. Dist=l,200 ly. Herschel's Garnet Star. One of the reddest stars. Mag 3.4 to 5.1 over 730 days. Long period pulsating red giant. Magnitude varies between 3.3 & 14.2 over 407 days. May be visible to the naked eye under good conditions. Dist=900 ly. Wide pair of white stars. One of the finest binocular pairs in the sky. Dist=100 ly. Best globular in northern skies. Discovered by Halley in 1714. Dist=23,000 ly. Fainter and smaller than M13. Use a telescope to resolve its stars. Famous Double Double. Binoculars show a double star. High power reveals each a double. Semi-regular variable. Magnitude varies between 3.9 & 5.0 over 46.0 days. Close to the brighter M10. Dist=18,000 Ly. 3 degrees from the fainter M12. Both may be glimpsed in binoculars. Dist=14,000 ly. Large, scattered open cluster. Visible with binoculars. Scattered open cluster. Visible with binoculars. Only globular known to contain a planetary nebula (Mag 14, d=l"). Dist=30,000 ly. Double Cluster in Perseus. NGC 869 8< 884. Excellent in binoculars. Dist=7,300 ly. Lagoon Nebula. Bright nebula bisected by a dark lane. Dist=5,200 ly. Bright cluster Located about 6 deg N of "teapot's" lid. Dist=l,900 ly. A spectacular globular star cluster. Telescope will show stars. Dist=10,000 ly. Good eyesight or binoculars reveals 2 stars. Not a binary. Mizar has a mag 4 companion. Coathanger asterism or "Brocchi's Cluster". Not a true star cluster. Dist=218 to 1,140 ly. Attractive double star. Bright orange star with mag 5 blue companion. Sep=9.8". Saturn Nebula. Requires 8-inch telescope to see Saturn-like appendages. Helix Nebula. Spans nearly 1/4 deg. Requires dark sky. Dist=300 ly. Impressive looking double blue-white star. Visible in a small telescope. Sep=7.8". Whirlpool Galaxy. First recognised to have spiral structure. Dist=25 million Ly. Yellow star mag 3.4 & orange star mag 7.5. Dist=19 ly. 0rbit=480 years. Sep=12". Beautiful double star. Contrasting colours of orange and blue-green. Sep=34.4". Attractive double star. Mags 5.2 & 6.1 orange dwarfs. Dist=11.4 ly. Sep=28.4". Appear yellow & white. Mags 4.3 8< 5.2. Dist=100 ly. Struve 2725 double in same field. Eclipsing binary. Mag varies between 3.3 8( 4.3 over 12.940 days. Fainter mag 7.2 blue star. Ring Nebula. Magnificent object. Smoke-ring shape. Dist=4,100 ly. Elongated star cluster. Telescope required to show stars. Dist=2,100 ly. Trifid Nebula. A telescope shows 3 dust lanes trisecting nebula. Dist=5,200 ly. A fine and impressive cluster. Dist=4,200 ly. Omega Nebula. Contains the star cluster NGC 6618. Dist=4,900 ly. Wild Duck Cluster. Resembles a globular through binoculars. V-shaped. Dist=5,600 ly. Eagle Nebula. Requires a telescope of large aperture. Dist=8,150 ly. Fine face-on spiral galaxy. Requires a large aperture telescope. Dist=2.3 million ly. Beautiful spiral galaxy visible with binoculars. Easy to see in a telescope. Dumbbell Nebula. Large, twin-lobed shape. Most spectacular planetary. Dist=975 ly. The Evening Sky Map (ISSN 1839-7735) Copyright © 2000-2019 Kym Thalassoudis. All Rights Reserved.