See The Comet, Venus And A Red Supergiant: The Night Sky This Week

The Night Sky This Week: Oct. 7-13, 2024

This week's celestial highlights include a stunning lineup of skywatching events. On Tuesday presents a close conjunction between the moon and Antares, making for a captivating sight, especially with a bright Venus also in the post-sunset sky.

Saturday offers the potential to witness Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) at its brightest, provided it has survived its journey around the sun.

Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:

Monday, Oct. 7: Moon, Antares And Venus

After dark, look to the southwest to see a 22%-lit waxing crescent moon will be almost alongside Antares, just to its left. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius. A red supergiant star 12 times the mass of the sun, it is one of the biggest stars we know of.

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Distinctly orangey-red to the observer (especially through binoculars) and known as the “rival of Mars” because of its ruddy color and because Mars passes it closely every 26 months. If you put it in the solar system it would reach almost as far as to where Jupiter orbits.

Thursday, Oct. 10: First Quarter Moon

Today is the first quarter moon, the phase of the moon’s orbit when it appears half-lit as seen from Earth. This is when the night skies begin to get so brightly lit by moonlight in the early evenings that stargazing becomes more difficult. You should still stargaze, but don’t bother with faint constellations and definitely don’t plan a stargazing trip to a dark sky this week (or next) because a full moon is coming—and that means a bright moon that’s already in the sky as night falls.

Saturday, Oct. 12: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

If it has survived its journey around the sun, this evening will be the time to look to the west immediately after sunset to glimpse Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and its tail after sunset. That’s because this is the date the comet will be closest to Earth. Whether it will be bright enough to see with the naked eye isn’t yet clear.

The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like SkySafari Pro, Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset, and moonrise/moonset times to see where you are.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.