Published 17:22 IST, October 3rd 2020
Mars comes close to Earth: Here are all the space events happening this week
Skywatchers this week will be able to witness some of the most stunning celestial events this week. Read on to find out what is up with space this week.
Astronomers and Stargazers are often seeking out marvellous celestial spectacles. Whether it’s a comet or meteor shower, they are sure to follow the tracks of these space objects. More often than not they capture stunning pictures to showcase the wonder of space to others. Hence, Twitter is filled with pictures of some of the most break taking space phenomenons. According to a report on Astronomy.com here is what will be visible in the sky this week.
Space events this week
Friday, Oct.2
On Friday, sky gazers were able to sneak a peek at the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. This ginormous cluster is Cataloged as M13, contains more than 100,000 stars. Most of these stars shone at the magnitude 5.8, this makes it the second brightest in the northern sky. Binoculars or a telescope could bring out many of M13’s myriad stars.
Saturday, Oct. 3
On Saturday, the Moon will reach an apogee, which is the farthest point from our planet. This will happen at 1:22 P.M. EDT. At the point of apogee, the Moon will be 252,476 miles (406,321 kilometres) from Earth.
While starting to wane from Full, Earth’s natural satellite will rise near Uranus tonight. An hour after moonrise sky gazers will be able to watch the two celestial bodies only 5.7° apart from one another. By 2 A.M. EDT on October 4, they will be just 4.3° apart.
The Moon and Uranus duo will be shimmering between the bright stars Hamal in Aries and Menkar in Cetus. Uranus will reportedly appear at the magnitude of 5.7and will be best visible with binoculars or a telescope tonight. If a skywatcher looks a little west-southwest of the du, there in the wilderness of vast space, they will be able to spot the bright Mars.
Mars will be visible near the Pisces constellation. If the skywatchers look a little west, past Pisces they will be able to find Neptune in eastern Aquarius. The farthest planet from the Sun is currently visible at the magnitude of 7.8.
Sunday, Oct. 4
Pluto which has been seemingly stationary against the background stars will reverse its westerly motion. Hence it will begin to move towards the east. In the evening of Oct 4, the dwarf planet will be visible after sunset.
It will be sinking toward the horizon between Jupiter and Saturn in the South. The celestial trio is northeast of Sagittarius’ Teapot asterism. Jupiter and Saturn will be 7° apart tonight, with Pluto nestled between them.
Monday, Oct. 5
Comet 88P/Howell is floating through the southwestern sky these days. On Oct.5 skywatchers will have the auspicious opportunity to see it. However, space enthusiasts must keep in mind that there is merely a window of one hour to witness the comet. Hence it will do them good to find a dark spot away from the city and keep their binoculars and telescopes ready.
Comet Howell will be sandwiched between globular clusters M19 to its west and NGC 6293 to its east. In fact, there’s another good news. There is plenty more to see nearby the comet, there is the globular cluster NGC 6355 and the Pipe Nebula sit a little farther to the comet’s east, and 12.8° east of Howell is open cluster NGC 6520.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
On Oct 6, Mars will come closest to Earth at 10 A.M. EDT. The Red Planet will be merely 0.41 astronomical units (1 astronomical unit being average Earth-Sun distance), or 38.6 million miles (61.3 million km) from our planet. The late evening will be the best time for viewing.
Mars will be glowing at a magnitude of 2.6 in the East. Under higher magnification, skywatchers might also be able to witness the dark Syrtis Major and the bright Hellas Basin. Looking slightly towards the East, a bright waning gibbous Moon will brighten the sky.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
The Draconid meteor shower will be visible in the late evening hours of Oct 7. In the past, this periodic shower has produced some impressive shows. However, this time it is scheduled for relative mediocrity with around 10 meteors per hour.
Thursday, Oct. 8
October 8 is a stargazer’s last chance to see Mercury in the evening sky. Only 30 minutes after sunset, the tiny planet will be visible just 2° high in the southwest. It will set 15 minutes later and will be well on its way to inferior conjunction with the Sun on October 25.
Friday, Oct.9
The Last Quarter Moon will occur at 8:40 P.M. EDT tonight. Given that moon will rise late in the evening, it will be a perfect time to seek out dimmer, deep-sky objects that would be obscured by its light. A seasoned observer with a good scope should be able to see several of Aquila’s planetary nebulae: NGC 6804, NGC 6781, NGC 6741, NGC 6772, and NGC 6751.
Image Source: Unsplash
Updated 17:22 IST, October 3rd 2020