The night sky in October

The planets on show this month are:

Mercury - This closest planet to the Sun can be seen easily in the brightening eastern morning skies from about Tuesday to October 25. Until mid-October, you can also see the fainter planet Mars sitting to the top right of Mercury (check out sky view on left).

Venus moves between the earth and the Sun this month - an event known technically as an 'inferior conjunction'. As the planet is sitting in the glare of the Sun, it means that Venus is not visible during October.

Mars - This tiny, faintish planet can be seen in the dawn skies near Mercury. From now on Mars will be brightening, and becoming visible for more of the night as it moves towards next year's big event - in August the planet will be at its closest to the Earth for over 2,000 years!

Jupiter rises shortly after midnight in the east and this month moves from Cancer the crab, into Leo the lion. The waning crescent Moon is to the right of Jupiter on October 30.

Saturn - Our famous 'planet with the rings' is sitting in Taurus the bull, and rises at just after 9 p.m. To help you find this world, the waning gibbous Moon is nearby on October 26.

Monthly almanac

Today - New Moon
Friday - Learning the Constellations meeting at Dingli Cliffs near Maddalena chapel from 8 p.m. onwards
Sunday - First quarter Moon
October 21 - Full Moon
October 26 - Saturn near the Moon
October 29 - Last quarter Moon
October 31 - The Sun enters Libra today, contrary to false astrological belief

October activities

Learning to recognise the constellations (groups of stars, many of which dating back to antiquity and whose names commemorate mythological beings and creatures) is the first step towards finding your way around the sky. During this activity, the constellations will be explained, and some of the important ones that are visible in autumn evenings will be indicated. Visit our website at www.maltastro.org for latest info on all our activities, including Astronomy Week 2002, to be held next month.