2019 Week 44: (October 27-November 2)

This week in the sky there will be a number of conjunctions and an opposition!

Date	Event
October 27	New Moon
October 28	Uranus at Opposition
October 29	Venus 4°S of Moon
October 30	Mercury 3°S of Venus
October 31	Jupiter 1.3°S of Moon
November 1	Saturn 0.6°N of Moon

The week starts out coinciding with the start of a new lunar month as the Moon will be new on October 27.  This will provide us with a beautiful waxing crescent in the sky while everyone is out getting candy on Halloween.

The next evening, Uranus will be at opposition.  This is the point in the sky where it is opposite to the Sun as viewed from Earth.  It will be at its largest and brightest in the southeastern section of Aries.

Scan the region below the bright stars of Aries to find a small blue/grey spot of light that will not be twinkling like a star.  Unfortunately, there are no other bright stars in the area that you can use as a guide to find our seventh planet.  Good luck!

Uranus at Opposition

I have only ever photographed Uranus once and that was when it was in conjunction with Mars this past February.

Uranus and Mars in Conjunction

There will be a lot of action in the evening twilight this week.  Venus will be in conjunction with the brand new waxing crescent Moon on the evening of the 28th.  You'll have to find a clear view of the western horizon and a set of binoculars with you.  AFTER the Sun has gone down, look for the Moon with your binoculars.  A couple fields to the south of the Moon you should be able to see Venus and Mercury.  The sun will set around 6:15pm in the evening, followed by Mercury at 6:45pm.  Your window for viewing is small.

A few nights later, dress up as an astronomer and catch Jupiter and the Moon very close to each other in the sky.  Jupiter is quickly moving toward conjunction with the Sun and won't be visible for several weeks to once again appear in the morning. 

The next evening, try to spot the Moon next to Saturn just below the teaspoon asterism of Sagittarius.  Just like Jupiter, Saturn is also making its way toward the Sun and out of our evening view.  Setup your telescope one last time to catch the beautiful rings before they are gone.

I hope you do have the opportunity to get out under the stars while the sky is clear and the ground, for the most part, free of a thick layer of snow.