September 22nd marked the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, the point when the sun crossed the celestial equator from north to south. This marks the start of the astronomical autumn and brings the promise of longer nights and more reasonable times for our observing sessions. Now all we need is the weather to play ball by giving us cloudless skies!

The first sight of note in October occurs on the 1st of the month with the "Harvest Moon". This full moon, the first after the Autumnal Equinox, rises soon after sunset. The extra light provided by the early moon rise was an aide to farmers harvesting their summer crops, hence the name.

October has two full moons with the second occurring at the end of the month. Despite being known as the Blue Moon it will not appear blue.

This month is going to give us the best views of the planet Mars until 2033! Look out for the following dates and times:

October 3rd at 06.00 BST the Moon and Mars will appear very close together in the west south west sky.

On October 6th Mars will be "only" 62 million km away, the closest it comes to Earth. A week later , October 13th, Mars will reach opposition, the point when the Sun and Mars are on directly opposite sides of the Earth. To observe the planet at its best find it in the constellation of Pisces around midnight, looking southeast. Mars has a distinctive salmon pink colour and will be at an altitude of approximately 40 degrees.

A small telescope should reveal dark and light areas on the surface of Mars. The lighter regions are mostly desert with the rockier regions appearing darker. The southern polar cap will be visible, shining brightly although it is currently at its smallest due to the southern summer occurring on Mars.

Venus continues to be prominent in the morning sky, being close to the star Regulus at 05.30 BST on October 3rd (altitude 19 degrees, in Leo) and then just south of the Moon at 05.30 BST on October 14th.

Jupiter and Saturn remain close together in the southern sky, Saturn being east of Jupiter. The latter appears as twilight starts to darken. Between October 21st and 23rd the Moon will be very close together, low above the southern horizon. This should be a great image opportunity for amateur astronomers. Another of Roger's images shows Saturn, its rings and two of its moons. Whilst they are very faint it is amazing that they can be imaged by a keen amateur in his back garden!

October is also promising for spotting meteors. The Orionid shower (named because of its apparent radiant or starting point in the constellation of Orion and associated with Halleys Comet) starts on October 2nd and reaches a peak on the night of October 20/21. The sky should be dark and provide good observing conditions. Orion will appear in the east and is probably the most recognisable constellation in the autumn and winter skies.

Another shower, the Draconids, is also visible this month. The peak is on the evening of the 8th. Look for the meteors in the evening sky, near the head of Draco high in the north west.

All astronomers will note that British Summer Time ends this month, on the 25th at 02.00 when the clocks will go back one hour.

Please check our website www.BeckingtonAS.org or our Facebook page for more information. As we are currently unable to meet due to the Covid 19 situation we are happy to give a mention to our friends at Bath Astronomers. they are holding a series of monthly talks using Zoom which should prove interesting. Go to www.bathastronomers.org.uk to find more details.

Clear skies!