Here’s what happening this month in the cosmos above…
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Saturn at Opposition – Sunday, October 4th
While we’ve been able to view the ringed planet in Sedona for about two weeks now, Sunday marks the official start of “Saturn season” with Saturn’s opposition.
What is Opposition? As Earth orbits the Sun, it routinely passes the other planets in the solar system. When we pass directly between the Sun and another planet (which is typically–but not always–when we are closest to the planet), we call that opposition. The Sun and the planet are “opposed,” i.e. exactly on opposite sides in a straight line with Earth in the middle.
For Saturn, this occurs tomorrow, October 4th, meaning Saturn will largest and brightest! And then only get smaller and dimmer until it slides behind the Sun in six months. So if you visit me at my telescope in Sedona on Saturday, October 3rd or Sunday October 4th, congrats! You squeaked out a view of Saturn before it starts shrinking again.
We have two more major oppositions coming up this planetary season:
- Jupiter: February 11th, 2027
- Mars: February 18th, 2027
Reminder that you can use my Planet Viewing Guide to plan your own evening viewing.
If you wake up early right now, you can actually see Jupiter and Mars in the pre-dawn sky. A few days ago, I stargazed at 4am and saw the white & red pair hanging out just below the constellation Gemini.
Draconid Meteor Shower – October 8th to 9th
Believe it or not, I’m not much of a meteor shower guy. While we have two this month (and if you put in the time, you’ll more than likely see some), I kind of just ignore the autumnal showers and wait for the winter ones.
But, my job is to provide the information (and set the expectation!)
Up next weekend is the first meteor shower of October, the Draconids. These are fairly easy to find if you can orient yourself to the Big Dipper: they radiate outward from just above it!
Draco the Dragon slithers its way between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (where you’ll find the Big and Little Dippers) with its head resting near Vega, the 4th brightest star in the night sky that is VERY easy to see.
Unless you live in the far north (Washington, Idaho, Montana, Canada latitudes), seeing this shower will be on the difficult side. So while I always say in my Meteor Shower Posts that the best time to view these are after 11pm, your best chance at seeing the Draconids will be 1.5 hours after sunset. Draco gets low in the sky later in the night, making it difficult to see meteors.
Orionid Meteor Shower – October 20th to 22nd
The second meteor shower of October, and arguably the better one to watch (I always make sure people at my private stargazing tours keep an eye out for them!)
The Orionids are a vibrant meteor shower that are best viewed after midnight, arguably the best of autumn. Finding them is extremely easy: Orion is the most recognizable constellation, and the Orionids–you guessed it–radiate at the arm of Orion. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Return of the Winter Sky at Stargazing Tours
In autumn, I offer private stargazing tours in Sedona starting at 8:30pm, and running through 1am. In late September and early October, right at the end of the 8:30pm slot, the first hints of the winter constellations make their appearance, and by 11pm, Orion is starting to make its presence known.
If you’re interested in a private stargazing tour, here is a broad overview of which period of stars is visible through the night.
Through October 14th:
- 8:30pm – summer, autumn objects
- 10pm – autumn, early winter objects
- 11:30pm – late autumn, winter objects
While Sedona is my hyper-local region in Arizona, I can host private stargazing in a 4-hour radius throughout much of the state, including Phoenix, Flagstaff, Page, Payson, Kingman, Prescott, Winslow, and Holbrook.
Alex
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