Friday, October 25

A lone bright star now hangs low in the south at midevening. First-magnitude Fomalhaut — often
called “the Solitary One” — belongs to the constellation Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish. From
mid-northern latitudes, it climbs 20° above the horizon at its best. How solitary is Fomalhaut? The
nearest 1st-magnitude star to it, Achernar at the southern end of Eridanus the River, lies some 40°
away.

Saturday, October 26

Skywatchers can get an early view of Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 T2) this week. The visitor from the
outer solar system currently glows at 11th magnitude, bright enough to spot through 6-inch or larger
telescopes from under a dark sky. It lies in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer, which rises in
early evening and climbs nearly overhead during the wee hours. For the next three nights, you can
find it within 1° of the sparkling star cluster M36, close enough that they appear in the same low-
power field of view. If predictions hold true, Comet PanSTARRS should become a nice binocular
object next spring.

The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, at 6:39 a.m. EDT. It then lies
224,508 miles (361,311 kilometers) away from us.

An ice giant at its peak

Uranus comes to opposition the night of October 27/28, when it resides in a fairly desolate part of
Aries the Ram.

Astronomy: Roen Kelly

Sunday, October 27

Uranus reaches opposition and peak visibility tonight. Opposition officially arrives at 4 a.m. EDT on
the 28th, when the outer planet lies opposite the Sun in our sky. This means it rises at sunset, climbs
highest in the south around 1 a.m. local daylight time, and sets at sunrise. (From 40° north latitude,
Uranus peaks at an altitude of 63°, the highest it has appeared at opposition since February 1962.)
The magnitude 5.7 planet lies among the background stars of southern Aries. In the nights around
opposition, you can find it 3° south-southwest of the similarly bright star 19 Arietis.. Although
Uranus shines brightly enough to glimpse with the naked eye under a dark sky, use binoculars to
locate it initially. A telescope reveals the planet’s blue-green disk, which spans 3.7". To learn more
about viewing Uranus and its outer solar system cousin, Neptune, see “Observe the ice giants” in
October’s Astronomy.

New Moon occurs at 11:38 p.m. EDT. At its New phase, the Moon crosses the sky with the Sun and
so remains hidden in our star’s glare.
Monday, October 28

Although the Orionid meteor shower peaked last week, the shower remains active until November
7. And with the Moon now gone from the night sky, observers can expect to see a few “shooting
stars” in the predawn sky. To differentiate an Orionid from a sporadic, remember that a shower
meteor will appear to radiate from the northern part of the constellation Orion the Hunter.

Tuesday, October 29

The solar system’s two inner planets appear near each other in the early evening sky. Tonight,
Mercury slides 3° due south (lower left) of Venus. You can find the pair with the help of a two-day-
old crescent Moon. Our satellite stands 8° high 30 minutes after sunset with Venus 5° to its lower
right and Mercury 6° directly below the Moon. All three objects should just fit in the field of view
through 7x50 binoculars. At magnitude –3.8, Venus shines far brighter than magnitude 0.1 Mercury.

Wednesday, October 30

This week offers an excellent opportunity to view the zodiacal light. From the Northern Hemisphere,
early autumn is the best time of year to observe this elusive glow before sunrise. It appears slightly
fainter than the Milky Way, so you’ll need a clear moonless sky and an observing site located far
from the city. Look for the cone-shaped glow, which points nearly straight up from the eastern
horizon, shortly before morning twilight begins (around 6 a.m. local daylight time at mid-northern
latitudes). The Moon remains out of the morning sky until November 11, when its bright light will
return and overwhelm the much fain