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[My primary data sources, both of which I highly recommend, are: (1) Guy Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar (annual edition), available through Sky Publishing Corp., and (2) TheSky (computer program) by Software Bisque.]

Monthly Night Sky Calendar

[ ** denotes "don't miss" events ]

October 2008

Events

[Held at arm's length, the width of your fist is 10º, the width of your index finger is 1º. The width of a full Moon is 1/2º.]

1 Wed. early evening: The crescent Moon is 6º below Venus low in the WSW with much fainter Mars 12º to their lower right.
3 Fri. evening: The Moon is 5º to the lower right of the star Antares.
6 Mon.: Mercury is at inferior conjunction with the Sun – between Earth and Sun – and passes into the morning sky.
6 Mon. evening: The Moon is 4º below Jupiter.
8 Wed. morning: The Draconid (Giacobinid) meteor shower peaks to a dark moonless sky after the Moon sets at midnight.
14 Tue.: The full Moon is called the Hunter’s Moon.
20/21 Mon. evening/Tue. morning: The Orionid meteor shower peaks with the best viewing likely before the Moon rises at midnight.
22 Wed. morning: Mercury is at greatest elongation west of the rising Sun.
25 Sat. morning: The crescent Moon is 7º to the lower right of Saturn low in the east.
26 Sun. evening: Venus is 3º to the upper right of the star Antares low in the southwest.
31 Fri.: The thin crescent Moon is less than 3º to the upper left of the star Antares with Venus 5º above, all low in the SW 45 minutes after sunset.
31 Fri.: Halloween, a traditional cross-quarter day celebrating the middle of fall.

October Planets

[The Sun, Moon and planets rise in the east and set in the west due to Earth's west-to-east rotation on its axis.]

Mercury starts the month in the Sun (at inferior conjunction Oct. 6), then emerges in the morning sky by mid-month, reaching greatest elongation Oct. 22.
Venus is gradually climbing higher as the brilliant "evening star" low in the W, where it will remain for the rest of 2008.
Mars is still lower and fainter in the W at dusk, slipping nearer the setting Sun.
Jupiter dominates the evening sky as the brightest object in the S.
Saturn is emerging in the morning sky.
Uranus and Neptune are in the sky until the wee hours of morning.
Pluto, too faint for most amateur telescopes, is in the SW in the evening and sets around midnight.

The Planets on October 1

	Mag	Rises	Transits	Sets
Sun	-27	7:22 a.m.	1:18 p.m.	7:12 p.m.
Mercury	2.8	8:17 a.m.	1:51 p.m.	7:26 p.m.
Venus	-3.9	9:46 a.m.	3:12 p.m.	8:37 p.m.
Mars	1.6	8:55 a.m.	2:30 p.m.	8:06 p.m.
Jupiter	-2.4	2:41 p.m	7:42 p.m.	12:44 a.m.
Saturn	1.0	5:34 a.m.	11:54 a.m.	6:14 p.m.
Uranus	5.7	6:17 p.m.	12:07 a.m.	6:01 a.m.
Neptune	7.9	4:55 p.m.	10:20 p.m.	3:49 a.m.
Pluto	14.0	1:20 p.m.	6:38 p.m.	11:55 p.m.

[Times are exact for Waco/Central Texas and may vary +/-30 minutes for other areas. / Mag = magnitude, a measure of brightness where the lower the number, the brighter the object. / Transit occurs when an object is on the meridian (the north-south line across the sky) and is at its highest point in the sky.

Morning planets one hour before sunrise (E to W):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Saturn	10º	87º E

Evening planets one hour after sunset (W to E):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Venus	5º	249º WSW
Pluto	36º	208º SSW
Jupiter	35º	188º S
Neptune	34º	141º SE
Uranus	23º	112º ESE

[Altitude = degrees above the horizon where 0º is at the horizon and 90º is straight overhead. / Azimuth = degrees around the horizon clockwise with N = 0º, E = 90º, S = 180º, and W = 270º.

October Moon

[Except when doing lunar viewing, stargazers regard the Moon a "natural" light pollution which interferes with viewing the night sky, just as human-created light pollution does. This is why most evening star parties are held around 3rd quarter and new Moon.]

Tuesday, Oct. 7 -- 1st quarter (good morning stargazing, poor evening)
Tuesday, Oct. 14 -- Full Moon (poor stargazing all night)
Tuesday, Oct. 21 -- 3rd quarter (good evening stargazing, poor morning)
Tuesday, Oct. 28 -- New Moon (good stargazing all night)

September 2008

Events

[Held at arm's length, the width of your fist is 10º, the width of your index finger is 1º. The width of a full Moon is 1/2º.]

1 Mon. early evening: A half hour after sunset look for brilliant Venus accompanied by fainter Mercury 3º to its left, much fainter Mars 6º to Venus' upper left, and the crescent Moon 4º to Mercury's lower left - all very low in the west. (Keep watching the 3 planets as they get closer - especially Venus and Mars on Sep. 11.)
2 Tue. evening: The crescent Moon is 5º below the star Spica.
3 Wed.: Saturn is at conjunction with (behind) the Sun and moves into the morning sky.
6 Sat. evening: The nearly quarter Moon is 1º (two moonwidths) below Scorpius' brightest star Antares; Mercury is 3.5º below fainter Mars with Venus to their right - all near the western horizon 30 minutes after sunset.
9 Tue. evening: The Moon is 4º below Jupiter in the south.
11 Thu. early evening: Venus passes less than a moonwidth above Mars with Mercury 3º to their lower left, all near the western horizon a half hour after sunset.
12 Fri.: Uranus is at opposition.
15 Mon.: The September full Moon is this year's Harvest Moon, being the full Moon nearest the fall equinox.
19 Fri. early evening: Venus, Mars, Mercury and the star Spica are grouped near the western horizon a half hour after sunset.
19 Fri. late evening: The Moon is 1.5º (three moonwidths) below the Pleiades star cluster when they rise soon before 10:30 p.m.
22 Mon.: Fall (autumn) equinox, the first day of fall when the day and night are of equal length.
24 Wed. morning: The crescent Moon is 6º above the Beehive cluster, and tomorrow morning is 8º below the cluster.
26 Fri. morning: The crescent Moon is less than 2º to the right of the star Regulus low in the east.
27 Sat. morning: A thin crescent Moon is 4º to the upper right of Saturn near the eastern horizon just before dawn.

September Planets

[The Sun, Moon and planets rise in the east and set in the west due to Earth's west-to-east rotation on its axis.]

Mercury spends the early part of the month low in the W in the early evening mear Venus and Mars, and is lost in the Sun by month's end.
Venus is emerging as the brilliant "evening star" low in the W, where it will remain for the rest of 2008.
Mars is even lower and fainter in the W in the early evening, edging nearer the setting Sun.
Jupiter continues to dominates the evening sky as the brightest object in the S.
Saturn spends the most of the month hidden in the Sun's glare and begins to emerge in the morning sky by month's end.
Uranus and Neptune are now in the sky nearly all night with Uranus coming to opposition at mid-month.
Pluto, too faint for most amateur telescopes, is in the SSW in the evening and sets after midnight.

The Planets on September 1

	Mag	Rises	Transits	Sets
Sun	-27	7:04 a.m.	1:28 p.m.	7:51 p.m.
Mercury	0.1	9:03 a.m.	2:59 p.m.	8:54 p.m.
Venus	-3.9	8:52 a.m.	2:54 p.m.	8:57 p.m.
Mars	1.7	9:20 a.m.	3:15 p.m.	9:10 p.m.
Jupiter	-2.5	4:35 p.m	9:36 p.m.	2:42 a.m.
Saturn	0.8	7:14 a.m.	1:38 p.m.	8:01 p.m.
Uranus	5.7	8:18 p.m.	2:09 a.m.	8:05 a.m.
Neptune	7.8	6:55 p.m.	12:21 a.m.	5:50 a.m.
Pluto	14.0	3:17 p.m.	8:35 p.m.	1:57 a.m.

Morning planets one hour before sunrise (E to W):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Uranus	25º	248º WSW

Evening planets one hour after sunset (W to E):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Mars	4º	264º W
Pluto	41º	185º S
Jupiter	34º	167º SSE
Neptune	22º	124º SE
Uranus	6º	99º E

September Moon

Sunday, Sep. 7 -- 1st quarter (good morning stargazing, poor evening)
Monday, Sep. 15 -- Full Moon (poor stargazing all night)
Monday, Sep. 22 -- 3rd quarter (good evening stargazing, poor morning)
Monday, Sep. 29 -- New Moon (good stargazing all night)

August 2008

Events

[Held at arm's length, the width of your fist is 10º, the width of your index finger is 1º. The width of a full Moon is 1/2º.]

1 Fri.: Lammas, a traditional cross-quarter day celebrating the middle of summer; and this new Moon produces a an early morning total eclipse of the Sun that won't be visible from our part of the world.
2 Sat. early evening: A half hour after sunset a thin crescent Moon will be 7º to the left of Venus near the western horizon.
3 Sun. evening: The crescent Moon is 6º below Mars and 9º to the left of Saturn low in the west.
6 Wed. evening: The Moon is 4º to the lower left of the star Spica.
** 11/12 Mon. evening/Tue. morning: The Perseid meteor shower peaks with the best show likely to come between 3 a.m. and dawn, after the Moon sets.
** 13 Wed. early evening: Venus passes within ½º of Saturn very low in the west - begin looking 30 minutes after sunset.
14-16 Thu.-Sat. early evenings: Venus (brightest), Saturn, and Mercury (faintest) are closely grouped near the western horizon - begin looking 30 minutes after sunset; binoculars will help.
15 Fri.: Neptune is at opposition.
16 Sat.: The full Moon, called Green Corn Moon and Grain Moon, features a partial eclipse that won't be visible from here.
20 Wed. early evening: Mercury is 1º (two moonwidths) below much brighter Venus just above the western horizon 30 minutes after sunset.
28 Thu. morning: The crescent Moon is less than 2º (about three moonwidths) above the Beehive cluster low in the east just before dawn.

August Planets

[The Sun, Moon and planets rise in the east and set in the west due to Earth's west-to-east rotation on its axis.]

Mercury starts the month near the Sun but soon becomes visible low in the W in the early evening; it passes Saturn and Venus at mid-month and is near Venus and Mars at month's end.
Venus is emerging as the brilliant "evening star" low in the W, where it will remain for the rest of 2008.
Mars is still low in the W in the early evening, gradually edging nearer the setting Sun each night.
Jupiter increasingly dominates the evening sky as the brightest object in the SE.
Saturn starts the month low in the W, and by month's end is lost in the setting Sun.
Uranus and Neptune are now in the sky nearly all night with Neptune coming to opposition at mid-month.
Pluto, which is too faint for most amateur telescopes, is in the SSW in the evening and sets after midnight.

The Planets on August 1

	Mag	Rises	Transits	Sets
Sun	-27	6:45 a.m.	1:34 p.m.	8:24 p.m.
Mercury	-1.7	6:58 a.m.	1:50 p.m.	8:41 p.m.
Venus	-3.9	7:54 a.m.	2:35 p.m.	9:15 p.m.
Mars	1.7	9:50 a.m.	4:05 p.m.	10:20 p.m.
Jupiter	-2.7	6:45 p.m	11:47 p.m.	4:53 a.m.
Saturn	0.8	8:59 a.m.	3:25 p.m.	9:52 p.m.
Uranus	5.8	10:23 p.m.	4:15 a.m.	10:11 p.m.
Neptune	7.8	8:59 p.m.	2:26 a.m.	7:56 a.m.
Pluto	13.9	5:20 p.m.	10:38 p.m.	4:00 a.m.

Morning planets one hour before sunrise (E to W):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Uranus	49º	214º SSW
Neptune	25º	234º SW

Evening planets one hour after sunset (W to E):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Saturn	6º	279º W
Mars	11º	269º W
Pluto	38º	157º SSE
Jupiter	26º	143º SE
Neptune	4º	110º ESE

August Moon

Friday, Aug. 1 -- New Moon (good stargazing all night)
Friday, Aug. 8 -- 1st quarter (good morning stargazing, poor evening)
Saturday, Aug. 16 -- Full Moon (poor stargazing all night)
Saturday, Aug. 23 -- 3rd quarter (good evening stargazing, poor morning)
Saturday, Aug. 30 -- New Moon (good stargazing all night)

July 2008

Events

[Held at arm's length, the width of your fist is 10º, the width of your index finger is 1º. The width of a full Moon is 1/2º.]

1 Tue. morning: An hour before sunrise low in the ENE, look for a thin crescent Moon and the star Aldebaran 12º to its right (a little more than the width of your fist held at arm's length); between them and nearer the horizon is Mercury, about as bright as the star, and at greatest elongation west of the rising Sun.
** July 1 Tue. evenings: Reddish Mars passes less than 1º from the white star Regulus low in the west with Saturn less than 5º to their upper left just after dark.
2 Wed.: The midpoint of the year 2008.
4 Fri.: The Earth is at aphelion, farthest from the Sun in its elliptical orbit, at 94.3 million miles.
4 Fri. evening: The thin crescent Moon is 3º to the left of the Beehive cluster low in the west an hour after sunset - binoculars will probably be needed to spot the cluster.
** 6 Sun. evening: The crescent Moon is 5º to the left of a trio of objects - the brightest is Saturn with Mars 2º to its lower right and the star Regulus 3º to Mars' lower right.
9 Wed.: Jupiter is at opposition on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun; it rises at sunset, is up all night, and sets at sunrise.
** 10 Thu. evening: Mars passes less than 1º from Saturn low in the west.
13 Sun. evening: The Moon is 4º to the right of the star Antares in the south.
18 Fri.: The full Moon is called Thunder Moon and Hay Moon.
27 Sun. morning: The Delta Aquarid meteor shower peaks.
27 Sun. morning: The Moon is 3º above the Pleiades star cluster in the east.
29 Tue.: Mercury is at superior conjunction with (behind) the Sun.

July Planets

[The Sun, Moon and planets rise in the east and set in the west due to Earth's west-to-east rotation on its axis.]

Mercury starts the month in the morning sky (at maximum elongation west of the rising Sun on July 1) and is at superior conjunction (behind the Sun and out of view) July 29.
Venus begins the month near the Sun but is beginning to emerge in the evening sky by month's end -- beginning its stint as the "evening star" for the rest of 2008.
Mars, low in the W in the early evening, is in Leo, near Saturn and Leo's brightest star, Regulus.
Jupiter, still in Sagittarius, reaches opposition July 9 and dominates the sky all night the entire month.
Saturn, still in Leo low in the W in the early evening, sinks into the setting Sun by month's end.
Uranus is high in the in the SSE in the morning near the Aquarius-Pisces border.
Neptune is nearly as high in the SSE in the morning at the eastern end of Capricornus.
Pluto, which is too faint for most amateur telescopes, is low in the WSW in the morning in the northeastern part of Sagittarius.

The Planets on July 1

	Mag	Rises	Transits	Sets
Sun	-27	6:27 a.m.	1:32 p.m.	8:37 p.m.
Mercury	0.5	5:06 a.m.	11:59 a.m.	6:54 p.m.
Venus	-3.9	6:54 a.m.	1:59 p.m.	9:04 p.m.
Mars	1.7	10:24 a.m.	4:57 p.m.	11:31 p.m.
Jupiter	-2.7	9:01 p.m	2:05 a.m.	7:13 a.m.
Saturn	0.7	10:45 a.m.	5:15 p.m.	11:45 p.m.
Uranus	5.8	12:26 a.m.	6:19 a.m.	12:15 p.m.
Neptune	7.9	11:03 p.m.	4:30 a.m.	10:01 a.m.
Pluto	13.9	7:25 p.m.	12:43 a.m.	6:06 a.m.

Morning planets one hour before sunrise (E to W):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Mercury	4º	69º ENE
Uranus	52º	157º SSE
Neptune	43º	197º SSW
Jupiter	18º	228º SW
Pluto	7º	245º WSW

Evening planets one hour after sunset (W to E):

Planet	Altitude	Azimuth
Mars	24º	270º W
Saturn	26º	267º W
Jupiter	6º	121º ESE

July Moon

Wed., July 2 -- New Moon (good stargazing all night)
Wed., July 9 -- Moon at 1st quarter (good morning stargazing, poor evening)
Fri., July 18 -- Full Moon (poor stargazing all night)
Fri., July 25 -- Moon at 3rd quarter (good evening stargazing, poor morning)

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August Planets

The Planets on August 1

August Moon

July 2008

Events

July Planets

The Planets on July 1

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