Skywatchers who’re out through the late evening hours on Sunday will almost definitely be attracted toward the eastern sky, where the 2 brightest visible objects at that hour will probably be readily evident.
The moon, now a waning gibbous phase, will probably be poised near an excellent silvery non-twinkling “star.” That object just isn’t a star, nevertheless, but the biggest planet in our solar system: Jupiter.
Jupiter comes up over the eastern horizon just before 9 p.m. local daylight time. It rises about 4 minutes earlier each night, so by the tip of October it’s going to be beaming before the tip of evening twilight. By then, the planet will probably be so vibrant – it’s going to be essentially at its peak brilliance for 2023 – that it is simple to see before the sky gets fully dark.
A few hours after it has risen, Jupiter has climbed higher above the horizon haze (or as I call it, “atmospheric “) and gleams with a brighter, purer light. It blazes high above the southern horizon through the quiet morning hours after midnight, finally paling within the western sky during dawn.
Related: Night sky, October 2023: What you may see tonight [maps]
On Sunday night, Jupiter will sit about 2.3 degrees below and to the suitable of the moon. Do not forget that your clenched fist held at arm’s length measures roughly ten degrees. On Monday, the moon could have shifted to a position nearly 16 degrees to Jupiter’s left.
Jupiter is situated within the small and comparatively dim constellation of Aries, where it’s going to remain until April 27. Every passing day brings our own world closer to scooting between the large planet and the sun. Once we finally do on Nov. 3, Jupiter will probably be at opposition, meaning it’s going to be opposite to the sun in our sky.
4 more moons
Now can be a fantastic time to start out examining the famous Galilean satellites; the 4 largest Jovian moons. In theory they’re all vibrant enough to see with the naked eye. Actually, greater than 40 years ago, a very good friend of mine, who was the education coordinator on the Hayden Planetarium, claimed to own the flexibility to do exactly that (he also said he could also discern the crescent of Venus along with his unaided eyes as well).
But for the remainder of us who lack such acute vision, optical aid is sort of all the time required to separate the moons from the glare of the mighty king of the planets.
Steadily held binoculars can reveal all 4 moons, though you might have to make special plans to catch innermost Io near the time of elongation. Telescopes nearly all the time show all 4. At moderate powers you may detect a change of their positions in an hour or so, and sometimes, when two are close together, in only a couple of minutes.
On Sunday night, actually, all 4 satellites will clearly be in view. Two will probably be to the east of Jupiter, while the opposite two will probably be to its west. The 2 that may appear closest to Jupiter, in addition to to one another, are (going outbound from the massive planet) Io and Europa. The opposite two, on Jupiter’s other side will probably be Ganymede and – the farthest out of the 4 – Callisto.
Repeat performance on the twenty eighth
One well-known lunar cycle is the sidereal month, a time period it takes the moon to orbit once across the earth with respect to the background stars, a period equal to roughly 27.2 days. Being a planet, Jupiter actually shifts its position relative to the celebs, but only barely during a span of a couple of month’s time. So, if we were so as to add 27.2 days to Oct. 1, that might bring us to Oct. 28, and sure enough, on that night the moon will once more be passing closely relative to Jupiter.
So, if cloudy skies obscure your view of the moon and Jupiter on Sunday night, don’t fret. You will get one other opportunity to see them together on the ultimate Saturday night of October.
Want to ascertain out Jupiter or the moon within the night sky? See our guides on the best telescopes, the best binoculars, and the best telescopes for seeing planets.
And when you’re trying to take awesome photos of Jupiter, the moon or the night sky generally, try our guides on how one can photograph the moon or how one can photograph the planets, in addition to our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.