A Month Of Celestial Wonders

The night skies of this month offer the fascination and enchantment of planets, constellations, stars and enigmatic entities of the heavens. Planets Mercury and Venus would be concealed in the Sun's brilliance. Cherishing them is not easy this month. They would be marching through the constellations Virgo (maiden) and Libra (scales). Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation on 12 October. One could marvel at Mercury tersely. It climbs above the horizon in the evening sky.  Otherwise, it could be lying low in the western sky after sunset. Lambent star Spica (Chitra) would bejewel Virgo. It is whooping 250 light-years away. Planet Mars can be manifested after sunset in the eastern sky. 

It creeps high after midnight. It would vanish from view as morning dawn breaks. It is roaming through a congenial but compact constellation, Cancer (crab). Planet Jupiter rises almost at midnight in the eastern sky. It would crawl up in the sky and become unobtrusive as the day commences. It is trudging through the charming constellation Leo (lion). Blue-white star Regulus (Magha) scintillates below Jupiter. It is remarkably 79 light-years away. Ringed planet Saturn appears in the eastern sky as dusk fades to darkness. It sneaks away up to a towering height in the southern sky. It would then dip down towards the western horizon by sun-up. It is sliding through a confounding non-zodiacal constellation. 

Cetus (sea monster). Startling star Mira the variable beautifies Cetus. Planet Neptune is noticeable on its eastern flank. On 04 October Saturn will make its closest approach to Earth (dubbed opposition). It will be bedazzling more than any other time of the year all night long. Through telescopes avid fans could admire Saturn's tilted rings and its mesmerising moons. Planet Uranus is discernible after evening twilight as a gleaming dot of light in the eastern sky. It will be aloft in the southern sky during wee hours of the night. It is lost in the western sky at dawn before sunrise. It would be loitering in the constellation Taurus (bull). The orange-red-coloured huge star Aldebaran (Rohini) sparkles below Uranus. It is unprecedentedly 65 light-years away. The far-flung blush planet Neptune could be appreciated in the eastern sky after sundown. It would be ascending the southern sky. By day's beginning it will not be distinguishable in the western sky.  It is perceptible in the southern realm of the sprawling constellation Pisces (fishes).

The new moon falls on 10 October, while the full moon (Kojagrath Purnima) occurs on 26 October. This full moon is popularly proclaimed as the hunter’s moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and wild games are ready for hunting.  Venerated Bijaya Dashami is cheerfully celebrated on 21 October. The Draconid meteor shower would be exhibiting sparsely ten meteors per hour. 

It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which was disclosed in 1900. Draconids are unusual showers. Its best performance would be presented during the evening instead of early morning like most other showers. It can be savoured from 06 to 10 October. It displays its peak this year on the night of 07 October.