Sky Lights ~ Libra

Venus appears low in the west-southwest and sets about an hour after the Sun, between 8:00pm and 8:15pm. Observers can see the planet higher in the sky the further south they go. With an unobstructed horizon expect to see Venus, brilliant at magnitude -3.9, pop into view during dusk. At the beginning of October the planet lies 7º (degrees) above the horizon and by its end 11º. 10/1 look for a slim waxing Crescent Moon 5º south (left) of Venus 7pm Map. 10/2 the Moon lies further to the south. Learn more about this observation. Venus moves along the sunset horizon to the southwest in December. Venus Path Venus is best seen in November and December.

Mars lies to the right of Venus. 10/1 Map 7pm At magnitude 1.6 the planet is very faint and lost in a light western sky. Mars is far from Earth now, across the solar system. Its observation is very challenging even with optical aids. The planet conjoins the Sun 12/5 and reappears in the morning sky early 2009.

Jupiter is eye catching in the southern sky. It is at its highest in the south around sunset. The planet sets in the west at 12:30am in the beginning of Libra and at 11:15pm by its end. Jupiter at magnitude -2.2 far outshines any star and is the brightest planet in the sky after Venus at magnitude -3.9 sets. At the beginning of October these two planets are seen 60º (degrees) apart; this distance decreases to 30º by the month's end. The planet is once again moving in a prograde motion and remains located at the eastern border of the constellation Sagittarius throughout 2008. The waxing Moon and Jupiter are a delight 10/4-8; look for the First Quarter Moon below Jupiter 10/6. Map Jupiter is at quadrature 10/6.

Saturn is now a morning planet, rising by 5:30am in the beginning of Libra and 4:15am at its end. Saturn spends the rest of the year south of the hindquarters of Leo the Lion. It currently shines a little brighter than Regulus, the heart star of the Lion. The planet is moving closer to Earth, however it's brightness is negatively affected because its reflective rings are closing toward their 2009 edge-on view. The maximum ring tilt of 27º occurred in 2003. The tilt decreases in October from 3.6º to 2.1º.

Mercury is retrograde 9/24-10/14 and is in inferior conjunction 10/6. By mid-October it appears in the morning sky and begins its second best performance for 2008, the first was in May. The planet gets bigger and brighter, more fully illuminated by the Sun, as it rises above the horizon. 10/15 it shines at magnitude 0.9 by 10/31 at magnitude -0.9. Mercury is at greatest elongation 10/22. Map Note: On 10/6 the MESSENGER spacecraft flies by Mercury promising to show us new views of the planet.

The Big Dipper is in the northwest as night falls. How many evening stars can you still find using Big Dipper Navigation? Its maximum navigation is shifting to the early morning hours. Notice the seasonal position of the Big Dipper's bowl.

Vega is the brightest star overhead as night falls. It is the western point of the Summer Triangle and sets well after midnight. Altair is the triangle's southern point and Deneb the eastern point. The Milky Way sweeps through this triangle from teapot-shaped Sagittarius in the southwest to M or W-shaped Cassiopeia the northeast.

The Keystone of Hercules is a fat, four star trapezoid or wedge located about a third of the way from Vega to Arcturus. Draco now lies to the north of Vega and Hercules. The Big Dipper is above this Dragon. Star Map

Fomalhaut is the brightest star low on the southern horizon from 9:00pm to midnight. it is the Southern Royal Star and the brightest star in the constellation Pisces Austrinus below Aquarius. Star Map

Capella is the bright star rising in the northeast about an hour and a half after sunset. Capella is the brightest star seen the most often.

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