![]() Mercury will be difficult, but possible to observe in the first week of October before it is too close to the sun. At its peak, there is expected to be around 20 meteors per hour, and it will best be observed in the early mornings as the moon sets and the constellation Orion rises higher in the sky. It peaks the night of October 20th, but the first quarter moon will make evening viewing more difficult. This shower runs annually from October 2nd – November 7th annually, and this shower is caused by the remnants of the famous Halley Comet. The second shower this month is the Orionids. Due to its low rate, it will be difficult to observe from light polluted areas, but it should make for a pleasant evening shower if you find yourself in a dark sky area. This year, the Draconids peak the night of October 8th with a rate of approximately 10 meteors per hour. This minor shower runs annually from October 6-10, and it is caused by the remnant dust from the comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner. October is a busy month for astronomical events on top of the eclipse, there are two minor meteor showers peaking this month. This moon is nicknamed the Hunter Moon, because this is the time of year that game is hunted. October’s full moon occurs on the night of October 28th. On the other hand, lunar eclipses can only occur during full moons because that is when the Earth is between the moon and Sun. Solar eclipses can only occur during new moons, because the moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun. When it is a new moon, the moon is between the sun and Earth, so we can only see its night side. When the moon is full, it is on the opposite side of the sun, so the side that is facing Earth is fully illuminated. Just as half of the Earth is always day and half is always night, the moon has a day side and night side too. The moon’s phases as viewed from Earth show us where the moon is in its orbit relative to the sun. The new moon occurs at the same time as the solar eclipse on October 14th. ![]() Mark your calendars and hope for clear skies, because that should be a sight to behold! This partial eclipse will still dim the sun drastically, but Ohioans will have to wait until April 8th, 2024 to see a total eclipse. For those in Columbus, the eclipse will begin at 11:46 am, and it will reach its peak at 1:07 pm. ![]() ![]() From our perspective, the moon will cover between 30-40% of the sun at its peak. Sadly, the ring of fire will not be visible in Ohio here we will only see a partial solar eclipse. This month there is an annular solar eclipse on October 14th. The moon still casts its shadow, but the edges of the sun’s surface can be seen behind it creating a ‘ring of fire.’ An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears smaller than during a total eclipse, so it does not completely block the sun. A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely blocks the sun’s light, allowing people in the path of totality to see the sun’s corona which is typically invisible to the unaided eye. This variable moon size is what differentiates a total solar eclipse from an annular solar eclipse. Solar eclipses are especially interesting on Earth because our moon happens to have the right combination of size and distance to appear nearly the same size as the Sun however, the moon’s apparent size does have some variation since its orbit around Earth is not completely circular. This path is called the path of totality, and it is the best place to view the full spectacle that a solar eclipse creates. When this happens, the moon’s shadow falls on a fraction of the Earth’s surface, and creates a path of darkness as it moves across the sun. There is a solar eclipse occurring this month! A solar eclipse is when the moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth. Nights will continue to grow longer until the winter solstice in December, but longer nights means more time to go out and observe! Every day, we lose an average of 2 minutes and 30 seconds of sunlight. However, the sunrise/sunset times vary greatly throughout the month. The sun rises around 7:45 am and sets around 6:50 pm, providing 11 hours of sunlight throughout the day. Happy autumn! With the September equinox behind us, we have passed into the astronomical start of the fall season! For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the sun is now below the horizon more than above it. Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in October 2023
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