This week is bringing some promising opportunities for stargazers and amateur astronomers. The forecast ahead indicates some clear or partially clear nights (although weather is very difficult to predict). The temperatures are relatively warm during the day and don’t even drop below the frost point at night. The moon is also transitioning into its new moon phase so you won’t have to worry about the moon’s blinding glow washing out the starscape. This week brings us the opposition of Mars, a close pass between the moon and Venus, the new moon, an easy viewing of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, and an opportunity to view the dusty arms of the Milky Way galaxy.

Mars has been making some headlines recently and that’s not for any plain reason. Every 15 or so years the opposition of Mars coincides with its perihelion to within a week or two. That’s what all the hype is about for the opposition on Tuesday.

You may be asking “So what if its perihelion coincides with opposition?” Well, since orbits are elliptical (thank you, Kepler) each planet has a perihelion and an aphelion or, in English, each planet has a moment when it is closest to the sun and a moment when it is furthest from the sun in its orbit cycle. Mars’s perihelion is 26 million miles closer than its aphelion! Opposition occurs when a planet is in line with the Earth and the Sun (its closest point to Earth). Combining these two happenings means the Red Planet will be especially close and especially bright this time around. Mars shines an unmissable orange-red color and is a brilliant magnitude -2.6 in the eastern skies starting around 7:20 PM.

The new moon occurs on Friday (at 3:31 PM EDT, to be exact) but there is another interesting sight to catch before the new moon. On the early morning hours of Wednesday around 6 AM, Venus will appear very bright in the eastern skies and the 8% illuminated moon will be no more than 5° away.

The Moon and Venus appear close to one another on Wednesday Morning.

On Thursday between roughly 7 PM and 9:30 PM, all four of Jupiter Galilean moons will appear to be on the same side of the planet. These moons are so bright that they can easily be resolved with a pair of binoculars.

All four of the Galilean moons will be on the same side of Jupiter on the Thursday evening.

Since the moon is hidden most of the night and the weather is promising, now is a perfect time to visit a dark location to see the Milky Way with your naked eyes. The core of the Milky Way is best seen during the summer but the long arms of the Milky Way are still visible for most of the year. The arm can be seen starting around 8 PM by looking at the south west horizon. This line of dust and stars stretches all the way to the north eastern horizon although it is much fainter in that direction. In addition to the Milky Way arms, there are a few other things that are easy to see with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars/telescope. The Pleiades might catch your eye near the ENE horizon around 9 PM. It might appear as a fuzzy patch in the sky, but that is just the tight collection of seven bright stars (the “Seven Sisters”). This open cluster is very impressive through binoculars. If you find yourself outside after midnight, then the true symbol of winter will be peering over the eastern horizons - the Orion constellation.

I closeup view of the Pleiades, similar to what can be seen in a good pair of binoculars.

This week is a rare opportunity with decent temperatures, a new moon, and promising clear-sky forecasts. Find some time to venture outside and explore the cosmos and all of its wonders with your naked eye or perhaps a pair of binoculars or a telescope. This week in particular it seems that the planets are stealing the show, but there are many deep sky objects that will also steal your attention in the weeks and months to come.

Clear Skies!

What's Up: October 12 through October 19, 2021