Visible planets – and more – in October 2021

Find these visible planets in October 2021: Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, Uranus

Try Stellarium for a precise view from your location.

For more specific information on planet rise and set times from your location, consult either The Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada) or timeanddate.com (worldwide); or see EarthSky’s list of recommended almanacs.

Visible planets, the moon and more

Use this sky chart to locate the moon and Venus low in the west after sunset on October 7, 8, 9 and 10, 2021. Can you also see the bright star Antares in Scorpius, one more time before it sweeps into the sunset glare? Read more about Venus and Antares.

In northern autumn 2021, the bright, solitary star Fomalhaut will appear near the brighter planets Jupiter and Saturn. Look southward from the Northern Hemisphere. Look high in the sky (in southern spring 2021) from the Southern Hemisphere. Read more about Fomalhaut.

Look southward from the Northern Hemisphere (closer to overhead from the Southern Hemisphere) to watch the moon, Jupiter, Saturn on October 13 to October 15, 2021. First quarter moon is October 12-13 (03:35 UTC on October 13). The moon will pass Saturn 4 degrees south of the ringed planet on October 14 at about 07:00 UTC. It will pass 4 degrees south of Jupiter on October 15 at about 10:00 UTC. Read more about Jupiter and Saturn.

Because it’s the innermost planet, Mercury never strays far from the sun in Earth’s sky. But about 6 times a year, Mercury swings out to one side of the sun as seen from Earth. At those times, we see it either in the east before dawn or in the west after sunset. In October 2021, Mercury is in the sun’s glare early in the month, but quickly pops into view in the east before sunrise for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers. Southern Hemisphere observers will have a much tougher time seeing it. When Mercury reaches the end of its tether with respect to the sun, on the dome of Earth’s sky, astronomers say it’s at greatest elongation. Mercury’s next greatest elongation is October 25. No matter where you are on Earth, look east before sunrise to bag this elusive planet in late October, and into November 2021. If you have a clear sky and an unobstructed horizon, you might also see the star Arcturus emerge from the sunrise glare, to the left (north) of Mercury, in late October. Read more about Mercury’s splendid morning apparition for the Northern Hemisphere.

The Hunter’s Moon is the full moon after the Harvest Moon (which is the full moon nearest the September equinox). In 2021, watch for the Hunter’s Moon around October 20. Like the Harvest Moon, this full moon isn’t really bigger, or brighter or yellower than any other full moons. But it does have the characteristic of appearing low in the sky after sunset for several evenings in a row. This 2017 Hunter’s Moon, over Bloomington, Indiana, is via Ken Meadows. Read more about the Hunter’s Moon.

Throughout the northern autumn months, watch for the zodiacal light before sunrise. The zodiacal light will appear as a pyramid of light on the eastern horizon, before true dawn, in a dark sky. It’s sometimes called the “false dawn.” This eerie light is sunlight reflecting from dust grains that move in the plane of our solar system. Image via our friend Jeff Dai. Southern Hemisphere? Look west after sunset for the zodiacal light in spring. Read more about the zodiacal light.

Planets in October 2021

Also see the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

Jupiter and Saturn appeared so close together in December 2020 that they made headlines around the world. Astronomers called their meeting a great conjunction. Throughout 2021, Jupiter have been moving eastward with respect to Saturn. It’s shifting away from Saturn on our sky’s dome, as it pursues its smaller orbit around the sun (12 years for one orbit, in contrast to Saturn’s 29 years). But, as seen from Earth, these two worlds still appear close enough to each other in our sky that you’ll find them very noticeable. That’s especially true because Jupiter is brighter than all the stars, and much brighter than Saturn. And so you can notice Jupiter easily along the ecliptic, or sun’s path, throughout the evening, throughout October 2021.

How to recognize Saturn? Saturn is the brightest “star” within one fist-width of Jupiter (to the right as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left from the Southern). Saturn is brighter than the bright star Fomalhaut, also nearby. Around the nights of October 13 to October 15, 2021 (see chart above), look southward from the Northern Hemisphere, or closer to overhead from the Southern Hemisphere, to watch the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Note that first quarter moon is October 12-13 (3:35 UTC on October 13). Then the waxing gibbous moon will pass Saturn 4 degrees south of Saturn on October 14 at about 07:00 UTC. It will pass 4 degrees south of Jupiter on October 15 at 10 UTC.

As viewed from earthly north, all the planets orbit the sun in the same direction the sun rotates: counter-clockwise. This illustration of opposition (not to scale) shows the positions of the sun, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn in early August 2021. Saturn reached opposition on August 1-2. Jupiter reached opposition on August 19-20. Image via CyberSky.

Venus, brilliant and unmistakeable, lies low in the sunset direction for Northern Hemisphere observers, higher up for those in the Southern Hemisphere. In October 2021, Venus can be found near the red star Antares, brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Each evening, the planet moves a little closer to Antares, finally meeting it on October 15 and 16. In the meantime, the thin crescent moon slides above Venus on October 9. This should prove to be an enchanting scene with the lunar crescent, full with Earthshine, glowing above brilliant Venus. Through binoculars, you can discern details on the moon’s night side. From our earthly viewpoint, the brilliant planet swings away from the sun on the sky’s dome, reaching its greatest distance from it (greatest elongation) on October 29. Unfortunately for Northern Hemisphere observers, the planet remains fairly low above the horizon. However, because of the angle of the ecliptic, Southern Hemisphere skywatchers see it jump quite high in their western early evening sky, making quite an impression before the end of 2021.

Venus, and all the planets, travel counterclockwise around the sun. Venus is an inferior planet, or inside Earth’s orbit. So it shows phases like the moon. It swept to the far side of the sun (at superior conjunction) on March 26, 2021, to exit the morning sky and to enter the evening sky. Venus will reach its greatest eastern (evening) elongation from the sun (half Venus) on October 29, 2021. Then on January 9, 2022, Venus will go between the Earth and sun, at inferior conjunction, to exit the evening sky and to enter the morning sky. Image via UCLA.

Mercury is hidden in the the sun’s glare in early October 2021, crossing the sky with the sun during the day. Inferior conjunction, when Mercury sweeps between us and the sun, comes on October 9. Then – for the Northern Hemisphere – Mercury pops up in the morning sky shortly before the sun in the second half of October. It shines as a bright magnitude 0.0 point of light, low above the eastern horizon as dawn is beginning to break. It reaches its greatest angular distance from the sun on October 25-26. By month’s end, Mercury will still be noticeable, but only for 30 minutes or so before the morning twilight sky brightens too much. Southern Hemisphere skywatchers won’t see as good of a show as northern observers. This is because the southern half of Earth’s globe will remain lost in the bright morning twilight all month. Unfortunately, Mercury is behind the sun when the moon sweeps through the October predawn sky. So we never have a morning in October 2021 when the waning crescent moon is near Mercury. We will have one in November though!

Uranus is reaching its best time of year to be observed. It’ll come to opposition on November 5. Even so, Uranus is very dim, even in a dark sky. But you can glimpse it with the eye under ideal conditions. And it can be identified with binoculars. Uranus might be the next planet beyond easy-to-see Saturn, but it needs a detailed star chart to be correctly identified; TheSkyLive has one. Want to try for Uranus? Read more about Uranus at opposition November 5.

Mars moves directly behind the sun on October 8, and, therefore, can’t be seen. The next real opportunity to spot the Red Planet with the unaided eye won’t be until the last week of December when it’ll dimly shine low in the sunrise direction, shortly before sunup. For the first half of 2022, Mars will slowly brighten. But it won’t dominate its area of the sky until spring 2022. Read more: What to expect from Mars in 2021 and 2022

Earth and Mars around October 7-8, 2021. That’s when Mars is in conjunction with the sun. It’s passing behind the sun from Earth and can’t be seen in our sky. Image via CyberSky.

Meteor showers in October

You might see South or North Taurids on any night throughout October and into November. The Taurid meteors consist of 2 streams, the South Taurid meteors and North Taurid meteors. Both streams appear to originate from the constellation Taurus the Bull. Read more about 2021’s Taurid meteors.

Watch for the short-lived Draconid meteor shower at nightfall and early evening on October 8, 2021. This chart faces northward at nightfall in October. The Big Dipper sits low in the northwest on October evenings. From the southern U.S. and comparable latitudes, in October, obstructions on your northern horizon might hide the Big Dipper from view. From farther south — say, the Southern Hemisphere — you won’t see the Dipper at all in the evening at this time of year. However, if you can spot it low in the sky, use the Big Dipper to star-hop to the star Polaris. Polaris marks the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Got all these stars? Then you should also be able to spot Eltanin and Rastaban, the Draconids’ radiant point, high in the northwest sky at nightfall in early October. Draconid meteors radiate from near these stars, which are known as the Dragon’s Eyes. Read more about the Draconid meteor peak on October 8. And, remember, this shower has an evening, not a morning, peak.

The Orionids radiate from a point near the upraised Club of the constellation Orion the Hunter. The bright star near the radiant point is ruddy, somber Betelgeuse. You might catch an Orionid meteor between about October 2 to November 7. In 2021, the peak morning is October 21, but, around then, the full or nearly full Hunter’s Moon will be shining brightly. Read more about the Orionids in 2021.

Some resources to enjoy

Try Stellarium for precise views from your location

Try TheSkyLive for precise views from your location

Click here for recommended almanacs to find out precise rise and set times

Translate Universal Time (UTC) to your time

Ecliptic is the sun’s path in our sky

Which ones are the visible planets?

In their outward order from the sun, the five bright planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These are the planets easily visible without an optical aid. They’re the planets watched by our ancestors since time immemorial. These planets do appear bright in our sky. They are typically as bright as – or brighter than – the brightest stars. Plus, these relatively nearby worlds tend to shine with a steadier light than the distant, twinkling stars.

You can spot them, and come to know them as faithful friends, if you try.

Skywatcher. Image via Predrag Agatonovic.

Bottom line: All you need to know about how to find the bright planets of the solar system during the month of October 2021.

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to EarthSky News by email

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Help EarthSky keep going! Donate now.

Post your planet photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

The post Visible planets – and more – in October 2021 first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2SL2h7q

Find these visible planets in October 2021: Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, Uranus

Try Stellarium for a precise view from your location.

For more specific information on planet rise and set times from your location, consult either The Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada) or timeanddate.com (worldwide); or see EarthSky’s list of recommended almanacs.

Visible planets, the moon and more

Use this sky chart to locate the moon and Venus low in the west after sunset on October 7, 8, 9 and 10, 2021. Can you also see the bright star Antares in Scorpius, one more time before it sweeps into the sunset glare? Read more about Venus and Antares.

In northern autumn 2021, the bright, solitary star Fomalhaut will appear near the brighter planets Jupiter and Saturn. Look southward from the Northern Hemisphere. Look high in the sky (in southern spring 2021) from the Southern Hemisphere. Read more about Fomalhaut.

Look southward from the Northern Hemisphere (closer to overhead from the Southern Hemisphere) to watch the moon, Jupiter, Saturn on October 13 to October 15, 2021. First quarter moon is October 12-13 (03:35 UTC on October 13). The moon will pass Saturn 4 degrees south of the ringed planet on October 14 at about 07:00 UTC. It will pass 4 degrees south of Jupiter on October 15 at about 10:00 UTC. Read more about Jupiter and Saturn.

Because it’s the innermost planet, Mercury never strays far from the sun in Earth’s sky. But about 6 times a year, Mercury swings out to one side of the sun as seen from Earth. At those times, we see it either in the east before dawn or in the west after sunset. In October 2021, Mercury is in the sun’s glare early in the month, but quickly pops into view in the east before sunrise for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers. Southern Hemisphere observers will have a much tougher time seeing it. When Mercury reaches the end of its tether with respect to the sun, on the dome of Earth’s sky, astronomers say it’s at greatest elongation. Mercury’s next greatest elongation is October 25. No matter where you are on Earth, look east before sunrise to bag this elusive planet in late October, and into November 2021. If you have a clear sky and an unobstructed horizon, you might also see the star Arcturus emerge from the sunrise glare, to the left (north) of Mercury, in late October. Read more about Mercury’s splendid morning apparition for the Northern Hemisphere.

The Hunter’s Moon is the full moon after the Harvest Moon (which is the full moon nearest the September equinox). In 2021, watch for the Hunter’s Moon around October 20. Like the Harvest Moon, this full moon isn’t really bigger, or brighter or yellower than any other full moons. But it does have the characteristic of appearing low in the sky after sunset for several evenings in a row. This 2017 Hunter’s Moon, over Bloomington, Indiana, is via Ken Meadows. Read more about the Hunter’s Moon.

Throughout the northern autumn months, watch for the zodiacal light before sunrise. The zodiacal light will appear as a pyramid of light on the eastern horizon, before true dawn, in a dark sky. It’s sometimes called the “false dawn.” This eerie light is sunlight reflecting from dust grains that move in the plane of our solar system. Image via our friend Jeff Dai. Southern Hemisphere? Look west after sunset for the zodiacal light in spring. Read more about the zodiacal light.

Planets in October 2021

Also see the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

Jupiter and Saturn appeared so close together in December 2020 that they made headlines around the world. Astronomers called their meeting a great conjunction. Throughout 2021, Jupiter have been moving eastward with respect to Saturn. It’s shifting away from Saturn on our sky’s dome, as it pursues its smaller orbit around the sun (12 years for one orbit, in contrast to Saturn’s 29 years). But, as seen from Earth, these two worlds still appear close enough to each other in our sky that you’ll find them very noticeable. That’s especially true because Jupiter is brighter than all the stars, and much brighter than Saturn. And so you can notice Jupiter easily along the ecliptic, or sun’s path, throughout the evening, throughout October 2021.

How to recognize Saturn? Saturn is the brightest “star” within one fist-width of Jupiter (to the right as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left from the Southern). Saturn is brighter than the bright star Fomalhaut, also nearby. Around the nights of October 13 to October 15, 2021 (see chart above), look southward from the Northern Hemisphere, or closer to overhead from the Southern Hemisphere, to watch the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Note that first quarter moon is October 12-13 (3:35 UTC on October 13). Then the waxing gibbous moon will pass Saturn 4 degrees south of Saturn on October 14 at about 07:00 UTC. It will pass 4 degrees south of Jupiter on October 15 at 10 UTC.

As viewed from earthly north, all the planets orbit the sun in the same direction the sun rotates: counter-clockwise. This illustration of opposition (not to scale) shows the positions of the sun, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn in early August 2021. Saturn reached opposition on August 1-2. Jupiter reached opposition on August 19-20. Image via CyberSky.

Venus, brilliant and unmistakeable, lies low in the sunset direction for Northern Hemisphere observers, higher up for those in the Southern Hemisphere. In October 2021, Venus can be found near the red star Antares, brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Each evening, the planet moves a little closer to Antares, finally meeting it on October 15 and 16. In the meantime, the thin crescent moon slides above Venus on October 9. This should prove to be an enchanting scene with the lunar crescent, full with Earthshine, glowing above brilliant Venus. Through binoculars, you can discern details on the moon’s night side. From our earthly viewpoint, the brilliant planet swings away from the sun on the sky’s dome, reaching its greatest distance from it (greatest elongation) on October 29. Unfortunately for Northern Hemisphere observers, the planet remains fairly low above the horizon. However, because of the angle of the ecliptic, Southern Hemisphere skywatchers see it jump quite high in their western early evening sky, making quite an impression before the end of 2021.

Venus, and all the planets, travel counterclockwise around the sun. Venus is an inferior planet, or inside Earth’s orbit. So it shows phases like the moon. It swept to the far side of the sun (at superior conjunction) on March 26, 2021, to exit the morning sky and to enter the evening sky. Venus will reach its greatest eastern (evening) elongation from the sun (half Venus) on October 29, 2021. Then on January 9, 2022, Venus will go between the Earth and sun, at inferior conjunction, to exit the evening sky and to enter the morning sky. Image via UCLA.

Mercury is hidden in the the sun’s glare in early October 2021, crossing the sky with the sun during the day. Inferior conjunction, when Mercury sweeps between us and the sun, comes on October 9. Then – for the Northern Hemisphere – Mercury pops up in the morning sky shortly before the sun in the second half of October. It shines as a bright magnitude 0.0 point of light, low above the eastern horizon as dawn is beginning to break. It reaches its greatest angular distance from the sun on October 25-26. By month’s end, Mercury will still be noticeable, but only for 30 minutes or so before the morning twilight sky brightens too much. Southern Hemisphere skywatchers won’t see as good of a show as northern observers. This is because the southern half of Earth’s globe will remain lost in the bright morning twilight all month. Unfortunately, Mercury is behind the sun when the moon sweeps through the October predawn sky. So we never have a morning in October 2021 when the waning crescent moon is near Mercury. We will have one in November though!

Uranus is reaching its best time of year to be observed. It’ll come to opposition on November 5. Even so, Uranus is very dim, even in a dark sky. But you can glimpse it with the eye under ideal conditions. And it can be identified with binoculars. Uranus might be the next planet beyond easy-to-see Saturn, but it needs a detailed star chart to be correctly identified; TheSkyLive has one. Want to try for Uranus? Read more about Uranus at opposition November 5.

Mars moves directly behind the sun on October 8, and, therefore, can’t be seen. The next real opportunity to spot the Red Planet with the unaided eye won’t be until the last week of December when it’ll dimly shine low in the sunrise direction, shortly before sunup. For the first half of 2022, Mars will slowly brighten. But it won’t dominate its area of the sky until spring 2022. Read more: What to expect from Mars in 2021 and 2022

Earth and Mars around October 7-8, 2021. That’s when Mars is in conjunction with the sun. It’s passing behind the sun from Earth and can’t be seen in our sky. Image via CyberSky.

Meteor showers in October

You might see South or North Taurids on any night throughout October and into November. The Taurid meteors consist of 2 streams, the South Taurid meteors and North Taurid meteors. Both streams appear to originate from the constellation Taurus the Bull. Read more about 2021’s Taurid meteors.

Watch for the short-lived Draconid meteor shower at nightfall and early evening on October 8, 2021. This chart faces northward at nightfall in October. The Big Dipper sits low in the northwest on October evenings. From the southern U.S. and comparable latitudes, in October, obstructions on your northern horizon might hide the Big Dipper from view. From farther south — say, the Southern Hemisphere — you won’t see the Dipper at all in the evening at this time of year. However, if you can spot it low in the sky, use the Big Dipper to star-hop to the star Polaris. Polaris marks the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Got all these stars? Then you should also be able to spot Eltanin and Rastaban, the Draconids’ radiant point, high in the northwest sky at nightfall in early October. Draconid meteors radiate from near these stars, which are known as the Dragon’s Eyes. Read more about the Draconid meteor peak on October 8. And, remember, this shower has an evening, not a morning, peak.

The Orionids radiate from a point near the upraised Club of the constellation Orion the Hunter. The bright star near the radiant point is ruddy, somber Betelgeuse. You might catch an Orionid meteor between about October 2 to November 7. In 2021, the peak morning is October 21, but, around then, the full or nearly full Hunter’s Moon will be shining brightly. Read more about the Orionids in 2021.

Some resources to enjoy

Try Stellarium for precise views from your location

Try TheSkyLive for precise views from your location

Click here for recommended almanacs to find out precise rise and set times

Translate Universal Time (UTC) to your time

Ecliptic is the sun’s path in our sky

Which ones are the visible planets?

In their outward order from the sun, the five bright planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These are the planets easily visible without an optical aid. They’re the planets watched by our ancestors since time immemorial. These planets do appear bright in our sky. They are typically as bright as – or brighter than – the brightest stars. Plus, these relatively nearby worlds tend to shine with a steadier light than the distant, twinkling stars.

You can spot them, and come to know them as faithful friends, if you try.

Skywatcher. Image via Predrag Agatonovic.

Bottom line: All you need to know about how to find the bright planets of the solar system during the month of October 2021.

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to EarthSky News by email

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Help EarthSky keep going! Donate now.

Post your planet photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

The post Visible planets – and more – in October 2021 first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2SL2h7q