By Neill Simmons
The highlight of October will be a much anticipated event – the Comet Tsuchinsha-ATLAS. Look low in the west on October 10, 11 and 12. Watch as the comet rises higher in the night sky. Exactly how bright it will get is a mystery, but astronomers feel it will be bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. As always, it will be easier to spot with binoculars or a telescope.
The Griffith Park Observatory will be having a free Star Party on the front lawn with many telescopes focused on the comet.
On Friday, October 5, the thin crescent Moon will appear next to the dazzling planet Venus. This outstanding event will last only a few hours so make it a point to look low in the west shortly after 7:30 pm. Right above Venus will be the red super giant star, Antares. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius.
Every night in October look east to see the ringed planet, Saturn, which will be rising in the sky. It is in a dark area of the universe and appears to be by itself. Mark your calendars for Monday the 14th when the Moon will appear to be near Saturn.
October 17 will bring another Super Moon in the east. This will be the fourth and final Super Moon of the year. It will also be the closest to Earth at 222,095 miles away. This Moon is known as the Hunter’s Moon which comes once a year. The name comes from the Algonquin Native American tribe and reminds us that traditionally in many cultures this is the time to hunt and store up meat for the long winter.
DAWN PATROL: In the morning twilight, the red planet Mars along with the planet Jupiter are easy to spot high in the east. Jupiter is so big that over 1,300 Earths could fit inside of it!
The constellation of Cassiopeia, the Queen, is visible this month in the northeast sky. Cassiopeia was one of the 48 constellations detailed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century CE. The constellation is most notable because of its “W” shape, which is said to represent the Queen sitting on her throne.
A supermassive black hole nine billion light-years away appears to have a companion black hole orbiting around it. As the orbit shrinks, the pair gets closer to merging. A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying. Because no light can get out, people can’t see black holes. They are invisible.
When not star-gazing, Neill Simmons is a Wealth Advisor with LPL Financial in Woodland Hills. If you have any astronomy or financial questions, he may be reached at (818) 936-2626 or neill.simmons@lpl.com.
