-Gazing Guide for October 2020

SIGHT # 1 MICRO FULL MOON IS THE HUNTER’S MOON- OCOTBER 1 It is also called Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, and sometimes Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon. A Micromoon is when a Full Moon or a New Moon coincides with apogee, the point in the Moon's orbit farthest away from Earth. The point in the Moon's orbit closest to Earth is called perigee. The average distance between Earth and the Moon is 382,500 kilometers or 237,700 miles. A Micromoon is further away, it looks approximately 14% smaller than a Supermoon. In addition, the illuminated area appears 30% smaller, so it might look a little less bright.

Micromoons do affect the tides. The greatest difference between high and low tide is around Full Moon and New Moon. During these Moon phases, the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun combine to pull the ocean’s water in the same direction. These tides are known as spring tides or king tides. Micromoons lead to around 5 cm (2 inches) smaller variation than regular spring tides, called apogean spring tides. Old folklore accounts suggest that Full Moons and Micromoons affect human mental health and bring on natural disasters, like earthquakes, but no scientific evidence supports any such correlation.

SIGHT # 2 – OCTOBER 8 & 9 The Draconid meteor shower, also sometimes known as the Giacobinids, is one of the two meteor showers to annually grace the skies in the month of October. The Draconids owe their name to the the Dragon, and are created when the Earth passes through the dust debris left by 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The comet takes about 6.6 years to make a single revolution around the Sun. The Draconids will peak on the night between Oct 7–8. Click on the table below for daily updated information about the meteor shower. Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

SIGHT # 3 ORIONIDS METEOR SHOWER-OCTOBER 20-21 The Orionids will peak on the night between Oct 20–21. At its peak, up to 20 meteors are visible every hour. They are the second meteor shower of the month. The Orionid meteor shower is the second meteor shower created by Comet Halley. The Eta Aquarids in May is the other meteor shower created by debris left by Comet Halley. Orionids are named after , because the meteors seem to emerge or radiate from the same area in the sky as the constellation. The table is updated daily and shows the position of the Orionids in the sky for the upcoming night. Click for link to webpage.

SIGHT # 4 BLUE MOON- OCTOBER 31

The term once in a Blue Moon suggests something happens very rarely. So, how often do Blue Moons occur? The answer depends on how you define a Blue Moon. There are two ways of calculating the date of a Blue Moon. Definition 1 -Seasonal Blue Moon = The third Full Moon in an astronomical season with four Full Moons (versus the usual three). Definition 2 -Monthly Blue Moon = The second Full Moon in a month with two Full Moons. In the 1100 years between 1550 and 2650, there are 408 seasonal Blue Moons and 456 monthly Blue Moons. This means that either Blue Moon occurs roughly every two or three years, although the monthly ones are a little more frequent than the seasonal ones. Click on the picture for a link. Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

Tonight’s Sky in Newton, NC –updated daily (Click on Photos)

Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

(Click on photo to view hyperlinks)

Distance of Each Planet from the Sun

(Click on photo to view hyperlinks) Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

Sky Map of for Kids

Constellation Cards Downloadable

Constellation in Summer Skies

Warm, lazy July nights are great for learning and viewing the summer constellations. So spread a blanket out in the backyard and lie on your back with your feet facing the south.

Can you find the Constellation:

 The Big Dipper ? High over your head on the right?  Bootes ? Looks like a narrow kite.  Cassiopeia ?  ? Just to the left of Bootes) aka the Northern Crown? The Crown is about as big as the Big dippers bowl. Its not too bright, but easy to spot in the city—it really looks like a crown.  ? Just left of Corona Borealis  The Summer Triangle ? Its to the left of Hercules and is the most famous feature of summer, the Summer Triangle. Its made up of three bright : in , Deneb in , in .  Lyra ? Is a small constellation-it could fit into the Big Dippers Bowl. You’ll have to look hard to see the four stars below Vega, but when you find them, Lyra might remind you of a harp.

Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

Can you find the Constellation:

 Cygnus the Swan ? Is a lot larger than Lyra. You’ll find its main stars easily. Bright Deneb, the northernmost star, is the tail of this heavenly bird; bright Albireo far to the south is its head, when you look for Albireo, remember that swans have long necks.  Aguila ? Is about the same size of Cygnus, but its shape is almost the opposite. If you can see the from your observing site, think of Cygnus and Aquila flying down opposite lanes of a two-lane road.  , the dolphin ? The small constellation is between Cygus and Aquila. It looks a lot like a dolphin leaping out of the water.  Sagittarius ? Follow the Milky Way all the way south to find Sagittarius. Sagittarius shares the southern horizon with the . Made up of a centaur holding a bow and arrow and the Teapot.  The Teapot ? Is not a constellation but is a asterism, a recognizable pattern of stars. Look towards the Center of the Milky Way  Scorpius ? Scorpius is easy to identify, since it really looks like a scorpion. To find it face south about 10 pm towards the middle of the month. It is said July is one of the best months to view the constellation. Near the horizon you’ll find the bright star Antares, the heart of the scorpion. Down and to the left of Antares is the scorpion’s tail with the stinger raised to strike. Above and to the right is the row of stars that marks the scorpions head. Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020

Star-Gazing Guide for October 2020