October's Top Beginner Targets

For the naked eye in October we have 2 meteor showers. The Draconid meteor shower peaks on the 9th of the month. There won't be much to see this year as the moon will interfere with this sparse shower.  On the 21st, the Orionid meteor shower peaks. Under ideal conditions, the Orionids can produce as many as 20 meteors per hour.

Telescope Targets
The month of October begins with Cassiopea and Andromeda high overhead in the Northeast.

M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy), to locate M31, find the "W" of the Constellation Cassiopea. The larger part of the base of the "W" points right at the Andromeda Galaxy. Simply follow this line approximately a fist's width and slightly toward the horizon and scan this area with your lowest power eyepiece. You will see a bright blob in the middle with light extending off of both sides. On a very good night from a dark site, Andromeda will fill the field of view of your eyepiece. The Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant object that can be viewed with the naked eye at 2.2 - 2.9 million light years away, which makes this a very easy first galaxy target for your scope.
The Andromeda Galaxy is considered the Milky Way's twin and is a member of a group of galaxies known as the local group. It's made up of about 300 billion stars and is considerably larger than the Milky Way. M31 is a spiral galaxy, but as we are seeing it edge on no spiral structure can be detected. Within the same low power eyepiece view, you may also detect M32 which is an elliptical galaxy. M32 is a very small smudge just below Andromeda (in the telescope view). It appears to be more of a fuzzy star than a galaxy through most beginners instruments but it's still another distant galaxy composed of millions of stars. M32 is located approximately 20,000 lightyears South of Andromeda. It is a dwarf elliptical galaxy. Also within the same low power field of view as Andromeda is the elusive M110 (NGC 605), another galaxy. It's located on the opposite side of Andromeda about the same distance as M32. It will take dark skies to see this one. It's a faint oval smudge even in my 8" scope. This is a dwarf elliptical galaxy containing just a few million stars. Both of these galaxies are orbiting M31. 

Moving over to Cassiopea, M103 is our next target. To locate M103 find the star that makes up the bottom of the smaller part of the "W" of Cassiopea (Ruchbah), M103 is located right next to this star in a straight line from it toward the star that makes the end of the "W" (Epsilon Cygni). M103 is a very loose open cluster of about 60 stars.

Next, we'll use Ruchbah again, but with the other side of the "W" to find NGC's 869 and 884 (commonly referred to as the Perseus Double-Cluser). Follow this line down approximately a fist's width, and using your lowest power eyepiece, you will be treated to one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens. NGC 869 and 884 are a pair of Open Clusters each containing approximately 100 stars. It is located a a very rich area of stars which only adds to the beauty of this target. The sight is indeed a memorable one, and one I'm sure you'll return to often to show your friends.  Use your lowest power to get the best view of this pair in your eyepiece.

Moving back up through Cassiopea, our next target will be the open cluster M52. Using the large part of the "W", (alpha and beta Cygni) as our pointer, follow this line straight up about the same distance, and M52 will be in you field of view. M52 is an open cluster containing about 200 members.

Using the small part of the "W" as a pointer, we'll move on to a fine double star, Gamma Andromeda. The stars in this part of the "W" point at Gamma Andromeda. This is beautiful double star, second perhaps only to Alberio as one of the prettiest.

Aquarius is also in good position for viewing this month. The highlight of this constellation is the globular cluster M2. M2 lies at a position of about 70,000 light years. Aquarius is a tough constellation to make out as it's brightest stars are only about Magnitude 3. I use the bottom of the parallelogram of Lyra and Alberio to find it. These 2 point right at the constellation. M2 lies just above Beta Aquarius. There are 2 stars of equal brightness in the constellation of Aquarius, Alpha and Beta Aquarius, both Magnitude 3. M2 lies above the more southern of this pair.

North of M2 lies another globular cluster, M15 in Pegasus. Pegasus is a little easier to identify by the large square of stars in the Eastern Sky. Use the botton of the square to point you to M15. M15 lies about the same distance west of the outer pointer as the distance between the pair of stars that make up the bottom of the square.

I hope to add eyepiece sketches of these targets as soon as my skies allow.

The Planets
Venus is low in the southwest at dusk.  Mercury can be found to its lower right early in the month but disappears for northern hemisphere observers by mid-month.

Jupiter and Saturn are both rising at about the end of evening twilight.  As the evening progresses they can be found quite high and bright.

Both planets will be up early enough to offer those trick or treaters a special treat. Set you scope up near the door and practice some halloween astronomy. The oohs and ahhs are worth it.

Well, that's about it for October, clear skies and happy hunting.