NOAO/AURA

The Andromeda Galaxy

The crisp, cool nights of October are here. With the tree losing their leaves, it now becomes easier for hunters to spot their prey through the fields and forests. This is how the October full moon came to be called the Hunter's Moon, and on the 14th you can see it shining brightly throughout the night.

This month also holds a few planetary treats for us.

Venus is visible low in the west-southwest shortly after sunset, staying up a little later every night. By the 26th, Venus will be just north of the bright star Antares in the constellation Scorpius. This red supergiant star appears orange to our eyes and is 700 times the size of our own Sun!

Jupiter sits above Venus in the southwestern evening sky. Throughout the month they move closer to each other. Look for a First Quarter Moon below Jupiter the evening of October 6. Jupiter lies in the constellation Sagittarius, the archer. Known for being shaped like a teapot, when you look at this constellation you are also looking at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

The prominent constellations of the autumn sky are all found in the mythology of Perseus and Andromeda. This classic tale of love and heroism from Greek mythology also includes the constellations Cassiopia, Cepheus, Cetus, and Pegasus. Facing east and looking closely in the constellation of Andromeda, you will see a dim smudge of light. This object is the Andromeda galaxy, also called M31. Being about 2.5 million light-years away, this is the most distant object that you can see in our sky with the naked eye.

To hear more stories of the seasonal sky, join us at the Rauch Planetarium for Skies Over Louisville: The Seasonal Edition on the first Saturday of every month at 9 PM.