October 2005 Calendar by Dave Mitsky

All times are UT (subtract 4 hours and when appropriate 1 calendar day for EDT)

10/1 Mars is stationary, with retrograde (westward) motion soon to commence, at 10:00
10/2 A minimum lunar libration of 3.5 degrees occurs at 7:00
10/3 New Moon (lunation 1024) occurs at 10:28 - an annular solar eclipse occurs in Portugal and Spain and across northern Africa from Algeria to Somalia
10/3 Mercury is at the ascending node
10/4 Venus is at aphelion; Mercury is 2 degrees north of the first magnitude star Spica at 8:00; Jupiter is 2 degrees north of the Moon at 17:00
10/6 Mercury is 1.5 degrees south of Jupiter at 7:00
10/7 The Moon is 1.4 degrees south of Venus at 6:00
10/8 The Moon is 0.2 degree north of the first magnitude star Antares at 1:00 - an occultation occurs from the central Pacific Ocean to the western portion of northern South America; the peak of the Draconid meteor shower, which has a variable zenithal hourly rate, occurs at 17:00
10/9 A maximum lunar libration of 8.0 degrees occurs at 10:00
10/10 First Quarter Moon occurs at 19:01
10/12 Neptune is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 15:00
10/14 Mercury is at aphelion; Uranus is 3 degrees north of the Moon at 5:00; the Moon is at perigee, subtending 32'42" from a distance of 365,451 km, at 14:00
10/15 A minimum lunar libration of 3.1 degrees occurs at 15:00
10/16 Comet C/2005 E2 (McNaught) passes close to the globular cluster M55 in Sagittarius; Venus is 1.6 degrees north of the first magnitude star Antares at 18:00
10/17 Full Moon, known as the Hunter's or Blood Moon, occurs at 12:14 - a partial lunar eclipse (7%) is visible from North America
10/19 Mars is 5 degrees south of the Moon at 13:00
10/20 The Moon is 0.3 degree south of the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades) at 3:00
10/21 The peak of the Orionid meteor shower (10 to 20/hour) occurs at 9:00
10/22 A maximum lunar libration of 8.5 degrees occurs at 1:00; Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun at 13:00
10/25 Asteroid 89 Julia (magnitude 9.4) reaches opposition; Last Quarter Moon occurs at 1:17; Saturn is 4 degrees south of the Moon at 17:00
10/26 Venus is at its greatest heliocentric latitude south; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'32" from a distance of 404,494 km, at 10:00; Neptune is stationary, with prograde (eastward) motion soon to commence, at 22:00
10/29 A minimum lunar libration of 3.6 degrees occurs at 13:00
10/30 Daylight Saving Time ends; Mars is closest to the Earth (69,422,823 km) at 3:24
10/31 The Moon is 1.2 degrees north of Spica at 19:00 - an occultation occurs throughout most of northeastern North America

Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

The planets on October 1: Mercury (-0.9 magnitude, 4.8", 96% illuminated), Venus (-4.0 magnitude, 18.1", 64% illuminated), Mars (-1.7 magnitude, 17.8", 93% illuminated), Jupiter (-1.7 magnitude, 30.8", 100% illuminated), Saturn (0.4 magnitude, 17.3", 100% illuminated), Uranus (5.8 magnitude, 3.6", 100% illuminated), Neptune (7.9 magnitude, 2.3", 100% illuminated), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude, 0.1", 100% illuminated).

Since it is currently south of the ecliptic, Mercury undergoes an unfavorable evening apparition during October. On October 6, Mercury passes 1.5 degrees south of Jupiter during twilight.

The visibility of Venus begins to improve this month. It sets about 2 hours after the Sun at mid-month. Venus is 4 degrees to the east of a young crescent Moon and 1.5 degrees to the north of Antares on the evenings of October 6 and October 16.

Mars is stationary on October 1, when it will be 9 degrees from M45. It then begins to retrograde westward, leaving Taurus to return to Aries during the first half of October. The Red Planet increases in brightness from -1.7 to -2.3 magnitude and in size from 17.8" to 20.2" through the course of the month. Mars will be 20% smaller than at the 2003 parhelic opposition but will lie 30 degrees higher in altitude. It will not appear this big again for 13 years.

Jupiter can be seen for a short time after sunset in early October. It then disappears into the glare of the Sun, reaching conjunction on October 22.

Located a few degrees from M44 in Cancer, Saturn rises around 11:00 p.m. EST by the end of the October. The Ringed Planet is 4 degrees north of the First Quarter Moon on October 25.

By month's end, Uranus is 1.6 degrees to the northeast of the fifth magnitude star Sigma Aquarii.

Neptune is located 1 degree from the fourth magnitude star Theta Capricorni and 0.1 degree northeast of a seventh magnitude field star.

Pluto sets not long after the Sun.

The eleventh magnitude comet C/2005 E2 (McNaught) travels through Sagittarius this month on a northeasterly course. On the evening of October 16, it passes very close to the eleventh magnitude globular cluster M55.

The very dim comet 9P/Tempel grazes the bright open cluster M6 in Scorpius on the evening of October1.

On the evening of October 4, the ninth magnitude asteroid 1 Ceres passes close to Omega 1 and Omega 2 Scorpii.

Eighty-five binary and multiple stars for October: Struve 2973, Struve 2985, Struve 2992, Struve 3004, Struve 3028, Otto Struve 501, Struve 3034, Otto Struve 513, Struve 3050 (Andromeda); 29 Aquarii, 41 Aquarii, 51 Aquarii, 53 Aquarii, Zeta Aquarii, Struve 2913, Struve 2935, Tau-1 Aquarii, Struve 2944, Struve 2988, Psi-1 Aquarii, 94 Aquarii, 96 Aquarii, h3184, Omega-2 Aquarii, 107 Aquarii (Aquarius); Otto Struve 485, Struve 3037, 6 Cassiopeiae, Otto Struve 512, Sigma Cassiopeiae (Cassiopeia); Xi Cepheii, Struve 2883, Struve 2893, Struve 2903, Krueger 60, Delta Cephei, Struve 2923, Otto Struve 482, Struve 2947, Struve 2948, Struve 2950, Struve 2984, Omicron Cephei, Otto Struve 502 (Cepheus); Otto Struve 459, h1735, Struve 2876, Otto Struve 465, Struve 2886, Struve 2894, h1756, Struve 2902, Struve 2906, 8 Lacertae, Otto Struve 475, 13 Lacertae, h1828, 16 Lacertae (Lacerta); Struve 2857, Struve 2877, 34 Pegasi, Struve 2908, Xi Pegasi, Struve 2958, Struve 2978, 57 Pegasi, Struve 2991, h1859, Struve 3007, Struve 3021, Otto Struve 504, Struve 3044 (Pegasus); Struve 3009, Struve 3019, Struve 3033 (Pisces); Eta Piscis Austrini, Beta Piscis Austrini, Dunlop 241, h5356, Gamma Piscis Austrini, Delta Piscis Austrini, h5371 (Piscis Austrinus); h5417, Delta Sculptoris, h5429 (Sculptor)

Challenge binary star for October: 78 Pegasi

Seventy-five deep-sky objects for October: NGC 7640, NGC 7662, NGC 7686 (Andromeda); NGC 7180, NGC 7183, NGC 7184, NGC 7293, NGC 7392, NGC 7585, NGC 7606, NGC 7721, NGC 7723, NGC 7727 (Aquarius); Cz43, K12, M52, NGC 7635, NGC 7788, NGC 7789, NGC 7790, St12 (Cassiopeia); B171, B173-4, IC 1454, IC 1470, K10, Mrk50, NGC 7235, NGC 7261, NGC 7354, NGC 7380, NGC 7419, NGC 7510 (Cepheus); IC 1434, IC 5217, NGC 7209, NGC 7223, NGC 7243, NGC 7245 (Lacerta); NGC 7177, NGC 7217, NGC 7320 (the brightest galaxy in Stephan’s Quintet), NGC 7331, NGC 7332, NGC 7339, NGC 7448, NGC 7454, NGC 7479, NGC 7619 (the brightest member of Pegasus I), NGC 7626, NGC 7678, NGC 7742, NGC 7769 (Pegasus); NGC 7541, NGC 7562, NGC 7611 (Pisces); IC 5156, IC 5269, IC 5271, NGC 7172, NGC 7173, NGC 7174, NGC 7176, NGC 7201, NGC 7203, NGC 7214, NGC 7221, NGC 7229, NGC 7314, NGC 7361 (Piscis Austrinus); NGC 7507, NGC 7513, NGC 7713, NGC 7755, NGC 7793 (Sculptor)

Challenge deep-sky object for October: Jones 1 (PK104-29.1)

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Theese calenders are really cool

Thanks heaps

__________________
If this writing is blue you're going too fast!

You're welcome.

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

I agree that these calendars are really cool, but isn't it time to unsticky this and the November ones and possibly make some for January and February?

__________________
‘To those who regard “crime fiction” as some sacred icon which must follow a rigid formula, I will always be the man who writes 18-syllable haiku.’Trying to make sense of computers, The Error Log.

I keep the calendars up for three months since the objects on the DSO and binary star lists are observable for that long. (The October calendar will be unstuck shortly.) Also, my calendars are very time consuming to compile and are done only on a monthly basis.

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.