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Autumn Stargazing: From the Draconids to Dazzling Planets · Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder

• 0:00
  Howdy stargazers and welcome to this episode of Star Trails.
• 0:11
  I'm Drew and I'll be your guide to the night sky for the week starting October the 6th
• 0:16
  to the 12th.
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  This week we'll check out some familiar and some not so familiar deep sky objects.
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  Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are all putting on a show and a meteor shower is also in the forecast.
• 0:30
  And by the way, did you hear Earth has gained a second moon?
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  We'll check out the lore and features of the constellation Perseus, the Greek hero of myth
• 0:41
  who's been a key player in some of our recent episodes.
• 0:44
  And later I'll recommend some great apps to kick start your observations as we make our way into
• 0:50
  the longer nights of autumn.
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  So grab your observational instrument of choice, a comfortable chair under the night sky and let's get started.
• 1:01
  This week the moon will transition from a waxing crescent phase to a waxing gibbous phase.
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  By October 10th it will reach the first quarter phase marking the halfway point to the full moon.
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  As the week progresses the moon will continue to grow in brightness reaching the waxing gibbous phase
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  by the week's end.
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  This period is excellent for lunar observation especially with the first quarter phase providing
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  clear views of the moon's craters and shadows while the waxing gibbous phase offers brighter,
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  more expansive views.
• 1:35
  Elsewhere in the solar system Jupiter continues putting on a show.
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  It rises shortly after sunset and is visible for most of the night in the constellation Aries.
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  It's near opposition meaning it's bright and easy to spot.
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  With a telescope you can observe the planet's cloud bands and its four Galilean moons, EO,
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  Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
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  Depending on the resolution of your telescope you may be able to catch a unique phenomenon
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  on Jupiter's face.
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  EO's shadow will transit Jupiter beginning around 8 p.m. on October the 9th.
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  If you can stay up later at 2 a.m. on the morning of the 10th you'll see Europa's shadow
• 2:19
  transit Jupiter as well.
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  These shadow transits happen frequently and Sky and Telescope has a nice online tool for
• 2:28
  calculating them when they appear.
• 2:31
  I'll include a link in the show notes.
• 2:34
  Look towards the southeast after sunset to spot Saturn in the constellation Aquarius.
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  Saturn will be visible through most of the night and with a small telescope you can catch
• 2:44
  its stunning rings and possibly its largest moon Titan.
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  Mars rises around midnight and is visible in the early morning hours in the eastern sky.
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  You'll spot it near the stars Caster and Pollux in Gemini and its reddish hue makes it easy
• 3:02
  to identify.
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  Venus will be shining brightly just after sunset low on the western horizon.
• 3:10
  I've managed to catch it during my evening walks on the past few nights.
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  Uranus can be seen near the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus while Neptune is best viewed
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  earlier in the evening in Aquarius.
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  As always you'll need a good telescope to locate these outer gas giants.
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  Even farther out some familiar deep sky objects are rising higher in the autumn sky.
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  The Owl Cluster NGC457 is a star cluster in Cassiopeia.
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  Also known as the ET cluster its bright stars form a shape that looks like an owl or the
• 3:49
  famous movie alien.
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  This cluster is easy to spot and it's a perfect target for binoculars.
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  The Pleiades M45 also known as the Seven Sisters is a beautiful open star cluster located in
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  the constellation Taurus.
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  This cluster becomes increasingly prominent as autumn progresses and it's a fantastic
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  target for binoculars which reveal more stars than are visible to the naked eye.
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  For a challenge telescope users can seek the Blue Snowball Nebula NGC 7662.
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  Located in the constellation Andromeda this striking planetary nebula is known for its
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  bright blue appearance resembling a small round snowball.
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  It's relatively easy to spot through small to medium telescopes and with higher magnification
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  you may observe its internal structure.
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  The Nebula is the result of a dying star shedding its outer layers.
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  Don't forget the Draconid Meteor Shower which peaks overnight between October the 8th and
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  9th.
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  The Draconids are unique because they're best viewed in the evening not after midnight like
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  many other showers.
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  The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Draco but remember you can see
• 5:11
  them almost anywhere in the night sky.
• 5:21
  Between last week's annular solar eclipse which sadly was not visible here in North
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  America, seemingly non-stop solar flare blasts, a new comet that could light up the sky next
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  week and the Nova Watch on T Corona borealis that I've mentioned in quite a few episodes,
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  there's been a lot of astronomy in the news lately.
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  Sometimes these headlines just seem a bit sensational.
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  For instance there's been a fair amount of press lately about Earth's new second moon.
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  On September 29th Earth captured a new mini-moon called 2024 PT-5 which will orbit the Earth
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  for about 57 days.
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  But despite the flashy headlines if you expect to see this new moon you're going to be disappointed.
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  Astronomers estimate this object is only about 10 meters wide, about the size of a school
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  bus.
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  I'll leave spotting this one to the professionals.
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  While PT-5 might not be much to look at it does remind us that there's a whole world
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  of quasi-satellites that whip around the Earth thanks to the influence of our planet's gravity
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  on these small objects.
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  We'll talk about some of these in a future episode.
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  A great constellation to explore in October is Perseus which is well positioned in the
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  northeastern sky and offers plenty of interesting stars and deep sky objects.
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  In Greek mythology Perseus is one of the great heroes known for slaying the Gorgon Medusa
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  and rescuing Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus.
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  After his adventures Perseus and Andromeda were placed among the stars along with other
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  characters from his story such as Cassiopeia.
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  The constellation features some perennial deep sky targets including the double cluster
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  NGC 869 and NGC 884.
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  Located on the border between Cassiopeia and Perseus the double cluster is a stunning sight
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  through binoculars.
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  These two open star clusters are packed with young hot stars and they shine brightly against
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  the backdrop of the Milky Way.
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  The California Nebula NGC 1499 is a faint emission nebula visible under dark skies and
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  named for its resemblance to the shape of the state of California.
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  The nebula is located near the bright star Mencar.
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  It's best viewed with long exposure astrophotography due to its faintness.
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  Finally Al Gohl the demon star is one of the most famous variable stars in the sky.
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  It's part of an eclipsing binary system where one star periodically passes in front of the
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  other causing the star to dim and brighten over a 2.8 day cycle.
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  This dimming and brightening can be observed with the naked eye making it one of the few
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  stars where you can directly observe variability.
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  As we head into October the nights are getting longer and clearer which means it's the
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  perfect time to get outside and do some serious stargazing.
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  When I was a kid this meant I had to pull out an atlas of star maps and try to make
• 8:59
  sense of the sky while trying to read the charts with a red flashlight.
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  I feel very fortunate nowadays as my night sky atlas is on my smartphone.
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  There's a universe of helpful apps and software out there that can make your stargazing experience
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  even better so I wanted to mention a few of these tools that will hopefully help you get
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  more out of your time under the stars.
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  We'll start with the apps you can take with you wherever you go, smartphone apps.
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  Most of these night sky apps make it easy to navigate the sky using some form of augmented
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  reality or motion based tracking.
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  They're also helpful for tracking celestial objects and for finding the best times to
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  observe.
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  You've probably heard me mention on various episodes that cross checking with an app is
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  the best way to ensure that you can see the phenomenon we discuss in your area.
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  There are a couple good ones to try and don't worry there'll be links to all of these resources
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  in the show notes.
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  The first up is Sky Safari, one of the most comprehensive stargazing apps out there.
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  Available on both iOS and Android, Sky Safari lets you point your phone at the sky and instantly
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  identify stars, planets and constellations.
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  You can even simulate what the sky looked like hundreds or thousands of years ago.
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  I know many of the folks in my local astronomy club prefer Sky Safari.
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  It features a massive database of stars, planets and deep sky objects and you can use it to
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  control compatible telescopes which is also nice.
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  The basic app sells for about $5 but there are plus and pro versions that sell for $20
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  and $30 respectively.
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  The basic version is aimed at beginners or casual stargazers.
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  It includes a database of around 120,000 stars, planets and other objects.
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  Sky Safari Plus significantly expands the database to more than 2.5 million stars and
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  includes many more deep sky objects, comets and satellites.
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  It also introduces enhanced features like more advanced telescope control, orbit simulation
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  and detailed observation planning tools.
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  For the most advanced users, there's the pro version with an unimaginable database of more
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  than 100 million stars and millions of galaxies.
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  Pro is designed for seasoned astronomers and astrophotographers who need detailed observation
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  logs and extensive telescope control options.
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  Next up is my app of choice, Stellarium Mobile which is another highly rated app for iOS and
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  Android.
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  Stellarium is known for its clean, intuitive interface that mimics a real-time sky view.
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  Stellarium tends to be more accessible for casual users or those who prefer a more visually
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  immersive experience without the need for advanced customization.
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  It does have some telescope control and a host of other nice features but it's not nearly
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  as full-featured as Sky Safari.
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  Even so, I've been a fan of Stellarium since its early days when it was a free open-source
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  desktop app.
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  The base mobile app is free and paying $20 gets you some additional tools to help you
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  plan your observations.
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  You can also use Stellarium on the desktop or in a web browser for free and we'll talk
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  about that in a moment.
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  Here's one more app to consider, Starwalk 2.
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  Like Sky Safari and Stellarium, Starwalk is like having a planetarium in your pocket.
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  Available on iOS and Android, this app uses augmented reality to give you an immersive
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  view of the night sky.
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  Compared to the other apps, Starwalk 2 is even more beginner-focused and leans more
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  into accessibility and ease of use.
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  It lacks some of the in-depth tools but provides a visually appealing, easy-to-understand sky
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  view that works well for quick lookups and educational purposes.
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  There's an ad-supported free version but upgrades and add-ons are only around $3.
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  These three apps are all similar so you may want to download each one and see which one
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  speaks to you.
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  I'd also like to mention two smartphone apps that both deal with astrophotography.
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  Photo Pills is an app that lets you plan your shots by predicting where the Milky Way, Moon,
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  or specific stars will be at any given time.
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  It includes a calculator for finding the best times and angles for photography and a set
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  of tools for calculating exposure times.
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  Even if you're not an astrophotographer, the sky planning features can really help you
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  understand celestial movements better.
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  If you want to dip your toe into the world of astrophotography and you don't have a photography
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  rig, you might enjoy playing with night cap camera.
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  This app is limited to iOS but many phones now have a night or astronomy mode built in
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  so you may not even need this app.
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  And before you scoff at using a phone for astrophotography, you should try it and see
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  what happens.
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  Using a Google Pixel phone, I caught Andromeda one evening and I've shot Aurora with my iPhone.
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  Night cap camera offers up some features for capturing star fields, meteors, and even the
• 14:45
  International Space Station.
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  Don't forget a tripod.
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  Now for those of you who like to do a little research and planning before you head outside,
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  there are a couple great desktop programs worth mentioning.
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  First up is the desktop version of Stellarium which is free and open source.
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  Like the phone app, you can simulate the night sky from any location on Earth and see what
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  it will look like at any time or day.
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  Another great option for the desktop is Starry Night.
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  This one is a bit more polished than Stellarium with a highly accurate star map and some extra
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  telescope connectivity.
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  And finally, before we wrap up, there are a couple websites I recommend you check out
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  if you want to stay up to date with celestial events or track satellites and other sky phenomena.
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  HeavensAbove.com is my go-to for tracking satellites like the ISS, Iridium flares, and
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  more.
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  We use this site to generate the sky maps featured on the StarTrails website each week.
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  This site is also popular for amateur radio operators who are trying to bounce a signal
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  off of one of the numerous Hamsats floating around up there.
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  And finally, with all the solar flare activity we've been having lately, I've been checking
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  in frequently over at SpaceWeather.com.
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  This site keeps you updated on solar activity, auroras, meteor showers, and other sky events.
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  It's a great resource if you're looking to catch something like a solar storm or the
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  northern lights.
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  There are a lot more applications and sites that are useful for astronomy and will probably
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  cover more in future episodes.
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  Hopefully, these help kick your stargazing into high gear as clear evenings and longer
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  nights await us.
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  That's it for today's episode of StarTrails.
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  If you found this episode useful, please share it with a friend.
• 16:44
  The easiest way to do that is by visiting our website, startrails.show, where you can
• 16:50
  find all of our episodes including transcripts, night sky maps, and more.
• 16:56
  Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the night sky.
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  OOSM