October stargazing tips from NASA: Sightings of Jupiter and Saturn, meteor showers and more

For all you sky watchers, there are some incredible views in store for you this October. As reported by Daily Mail, you would be treated to some rare views that include meteor shower and Mars changing course, along with being able to see Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky throughout this whole month.

NASA published these monthly highlights in their website stating,

What's Up for October? Evenings with giants, Mars changes course, and meteors from Orion.

‘Evenings with giants,’ according to NASA

As per NASA, Jupiter and Saturn are visible at night throughout the month of October. You will find them to the southeast and they move slowly westward with the stars over the course of the night, forming a triangle with the star Fomalhaut.

A tip from NASA to be able to spot the planets is that while stars twinkle, these planets shine with steady light.

Retrograde motion of Mars

While Mars moves towards the east relative to the background stars all year, at the end of October, it would look like it halts all motion and reverses course. Then from November to January, Mars would move west and then reverse its course again. This seeming reversal of course by Mars is called retrograde motion of Mars.

According to NASA, Mars will appear to do so because Earth is passing the slower moving Red Planet in its orbit. This phenomenon appears every two years and the visual illusion can be very confusing to observers.

Orionid meteor shower

In more exciting news for star lovers, the Orionid meteor shower is active throughout the months of October and November with its peak being on the night of 20 October. At its peak, it produces about 10-20 meteors per hour, which are visible under clear, dark skies.

Sources used:

Daily Mail: ‘NASA urges stargazers to enjoy 'evenings with giants' in October as massive planets Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in the night sky throughout the month.’

NASA: ' What's Up: Skywatching Tips from NASA'

Read more:

⋙ Meteor showers to a partial solar eclipse: All you need to know about the astronomical events in October

⋙ Meteorite that crashed into Gloucestershire driveway holds extra-terrestrial water: First of its kind in the UK

⋙ NASA releases new photos of Mars illuminated by the sun