October Evening Skies © 2020 Abrams Planetarium LEGEND Subscription: $12.00 per year, from Sky Calendar, Star Magnitudes Abrams Planetarium, 755 Science Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824 or online at www.abramsplanetarium.org/ Zero or brighter SkyCalendar/ 1st 2nd This chart is drawn for latitude 40° N but is useful

3rd NORTH throughout the continental U.S. It represents 4th the sky in mid-October at 9:30 p.m. local 5th 7 Deep Sky Objects daylight saving time and is appli- cable one hour either side of

this time. Big Dipper Big

ζ

URSA MAJOR URSA

Capella

AURIGA

Polaris

BOOTES

URSA MINOR URSA

PERSEUS

DRACO

BOREALIS CEPHEUS CORONA

ν

TAURUS Cluster

Aldebaran 77 Double

Algol M13

Pleiades 7

CASSIOPEIA

δ

ANDROMEDA

Vega ε HERCULES

M31 ο

7 ζ δ

Deneb EAST

ARIES LYRA

Uranus WEST

β + CYGNUS

PEGASUS SUMMER

PISCES TRIANGLE

DELPHINUS 2 OPHIUCHUS Mira Mars Altair CETUS

AQUILA Neptune + AQUARIUS

α

Saturn2 2 CAPRICORNUS SAGITTARIUS Jupiter Fomalhaut PISCIS AUSTRINUS

Teapot The stars Algol in Perseus, δ in Five planets are plot- Cepheus, and Mira in Cetus are naked-eye ted for mid-October 2020. GRUS At chart time nine objects of variables with periods of 2.9 first magnitude or brighter are days, 5.4 days, and 11 months. visible. In order of brightness they are: SOUTH Mira's peak brightness is expected in Mars, Jupiter, Vega, Capella, Saturn, Altair, Sept-Oct. 2020. Aldebaran, Fomalhaut, and Deneb. Two open or galactic clusters are noted. The Our usual monthly maps are designed for stargaz- Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, in Taurus is a treat for ers just beginning to find their way around the sky. A selection of double stars (labeled with Greek unaided eye and binoculars. The Double Cluster in This month’s map is useful for serious stargazing letters) and “deep sky objects” is also plotted. Perseus is a fine object if the sky is dark. from dark locations. It contains many more stars, Most are visible to the unaided eye or binoculars. inclusive to magnitude 4.5, plus some fainter stars The double stars, in order of decreasing angular M 31 is the famous Andromeda Galaxy, a collection as needed to complete patterns or assist in locating separation, are ζ UMa, δ Lyr, α Cap, ο Cyg, ε Lyr, of 300 billion stars located 2.5 million light years special objects. ν Dra, ζ Lyr, β Cyg. from Earth. It is barely visible to the unaided eye.