The biggest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, dominates the southern sky in August. Visible all night long, it will be rather low for UK observers. But it is very bright and binoculars will reveal its four largest moons as starlike points of light.
The ringed world of Saturn is also low in the south. Looking like a bright yellow star, a small telescope with 36x magnification will begin to show its show-stopping rings. It stays just to the left (east) of the much brighter Jupiter during the Autumn – a real treat!
August marks the start of the Milky Way season, which is well placed for observation directly overhead throughout Autumn. The best views come from dark areas. Look for a narrow band of light stretching across the sky. This picture is by Dave Williams and taken in the Peak District in the UK. See that hazy glow that splits into two? That’s the Milky Way!
Mars puts on its best show since 2012 with a very close approach to earth on 13 October. It’s also reasonably high in the sky. Of course it will be visible many months before and after this date, but the prime viewing slot is mid September to the end of October. It really does look red and will become very bright – outshining even Jupiter – and unmistakable in the night sky. Modest telescopes will reveal dark markings on the Martian surface. A fleet of space probes has been launched to take advantage of the Red Planet’s proximity. At a mere 38 million miles away, Mars won’t come this close to the earth again until 2035.
The superb Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on 22/23 October. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley entering the earth’s atmosphere and burning up. The crescent moon sets before midnight, which is perfect as the wee small hours are the best time to view the display. As always the darker your location, the more you will see.
The fantastic North Pennines Dark Sky Festival runs from 23 October to 1 November. This is one of the best dark sky locations in England. There’ll be scores of events for all the family run by the North Pennine AONB, energetic supporters of dark sky conservation. Exmoor International Dark Sky Reserve (also uber dark!) is also hosting a dark skies festival from 16 to 31 October 2020.
The final two meteor showers of 2020 are the Leonids (17/18 November) and the Geminids 13/ 14 December. The latter is the best of the year and if you only have inclination to see one meteor shower make it this one. Plenty of shooting stars should be visible with the moon largely absent. Wrap up warm, be patient and ideally go somewhere dark.
Jupiter and Saturn have been close to each other in the sky all year, but on the 21 December they surpass themselves. They will both come within one tenth of a degree separation and easily fit into the field of view of a telescope. Technically this is called a Great Conjunction and the last time the two giants of the solar system appeared so close was 1623! However, the dynamic duo will be low down in the west so it’s best glimpsed soon after the sun sets and the sky is reasonable dark, say 16.30 GMT. Be quick as both will be heading below the horizon soon after. For the record, this conjunction is a line of sight effect. Saturn is much more distant from the sun than Jupiter.
Alway expect the unexpected! Naked eye comets are rare, but this summer we had a real treat in the form of Comet NEOWISE, seen in the image below, taken from North Yorkshire in the UK. No one knows when the next one will come along to match its vibrant display. So it pays to be alert.
September equinox22/09/2020 at 13:15 – 14:15Day and night have equal length, marking the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20200922_07_100
Moon at First Quarter24/09/2020 at 01:55 – 02:55The Moon appears high in the sky at sunset and sets in the west at around midnight. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20200924_08_100
Full Moon01/10/2020 at 21:05 – 22:05The Moon is visible for much of the night. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20201001_08_100
NGC 362 is well placed07/10/2020 at 23:56 – 00:56The globular cluster NGC 362 in Tucana is well placed for observation. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20201007_16_100
Draconid meteor shower08/10/2020 at 12:27 – 13:27The Draconid meteor shower reaches its peak but its a minor shower so don;t expect too much . https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20201008_10_100
Moon at Last Quarter10/10/2020 at 00:40 – 01:40The Moon rises in the east at around midnight and appears high in the sky at sunrise. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20201010_08_100
Southern Taurid meteor shower10/10/2020 at 03:19 – 04:19The Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20201010_10_100
δ-Aurigid meteor shower11/10/2020 at 03:36 – 04:36The δ-Aurigid meteor shower reaches its peak. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20201011_10_100
Mars at its best - and it's very good!13/10/2020 at 23:18 – 00:18Mars puts on its best show since 2012 with a very close approach to earth on 13 October. It’s also reasonably high in the sky. Of course it will be visible many months before and after this date but the prime viewing slot is mid September to the the end of October. It really does…
New Moon16/10/2020 at 19:31 – 20:31The Moon disappears into the Sun's glare. https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20201016_08_100
