Sky Events Calendar
October
All times listed are in Central Standard Time or Central Daylight Time, according to the time in effect on that date.
For more information, call the Museum at 337-291-5544 and ask to speak with someone in the planetarium. Some of these objects and events can be seen during Planetarium star parties — check the Museum web site to see a list of star parties and other events hosted by the Planetarium. Reminders of some of these events will appear on the Lafayette Science Museum Facebook page as the dates approach.
October 2: The moon will appear among the distant stars in the Hyades star cluster from midnight through dawn twilight. Viewed in a telescope, over the course of a half hour or so observers will see the moon shift its position against the background of distant stars as it orbits Earth. It may temporarily occult, or block our view of, some of the stars. The moon’s shifting position can be noticed with binoculars, but the occultations themselves generally require a telescope.
October 5: Mars, Jupiter, and Venus begin a complex series of interesting motions before dawn in the southeastern sky that will last over a month. On this date Mars and Jupiter will become visible in the same binocular view, and will stay that way until November 1.
October 8: The bright object near the moon before dawn will be Venus. Between 4 a.m., when they rise, and dawn, it may be possible to notice the moon shifting its position relative to Venus with only the unaided eye. If you can find the thin crescent moon well overhead near the southwest around lunchtime, you may be able to see Venus to its left in broad daylight! It helps to stand in a shadow when you try this.
October 9: Look at the moon in the east between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. That’s Venus above it, Jupiter below, and Mars to the left. The moon, Mars, and Jupiter will all be in the same binocular view!
October 11: The starlike object in the east above the very thin crescent moon during morning twilight will be Mercury.
October 12–24: This will be the best time in 2015 to see Mercury in the pre-dawn sky. It will look like a moderately bright starlike object low in the east-southeast during morning twilight.
mid-October to mid-November: Particularly from late in the evening, watch for occasional bright meteors coming from the region of Taurus, the Bull. The Taurid meteor shower is noted for bright meteors that occur in very small numbers.
October 16: The bright starlike object near the moon tonight will be Saturn. By this time next month Saturn will likely be lost in the glare of sunset as it and Earth move around the sun.
October 17: Mars and Jupiter will be visible in the same low power telescope view before dawn in the southeast. Of course, they will also be in the same binocular view.
October 19: Venus will join Mars and Jupiter in the southeast before dawn, all three seen in the same binocular view until November 2.
October 21/22: The Orionid meteor shower should peak near midnight between these dates. The nearly full moon will set about then, giving good meteor viewing from about 1:00 to 5:00 a.m. Rural viewers under typical Acadiana skies may see 6 to 8 meteors per hour, but observers near lights will see fewer and those in cities will see almost none. The meteors will be seen over most of the sky, seeming to come from the constellation Orion.
October 25: Look for brilliant Venus in the southeast before dawn. A telescope reveals its half phase.
