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October’s sky is full of myths and legends as well as bright planets and other cosmic delights. The crisp evenings offer clear skies and cool temperatures for stargazers. Highlights include the “ring of fire” solar eclipse on Oct. 14 and the hunter’s moon two weeks later.

A ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse

Your friends at SciJinks are counting down the days to the next annular eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023. Let’s get ready together by learning what an annular eclipse is! 🧵 pic.twitter.com/FuffFuFxVe

On Oct. 14, the moon will pass in front of the sun, obscuring much of it but leaving behind a brilliant ring, or annulus, of unfiltered sunlight. This is known as an “annular” or “ring of fire” solar eclipse.

Viewers along a track extending from Oregon through the Four Corners region to the south Texas coast will see the moon gradually cover the sun until the dark lunar disk is surrounded by the fiery ring.

Although only those along the eclipse’s centerline will see the ring of fire, all residents of the Lower 48 states will be able to see at least a partial solar eclipse. The closer you are to the centerline, the more of the sun’s disk will be obscured by the moon.

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In Washington, the partial eclipse begins at noon on the 14th, with maximum eclipse occurring at 1:19 p.m. Eastern. At this time, about 30 percent of the sun’s disk will be obscured by the moon. The eclipse ends at 2:39 p.m.

Because the sun is not completely blocked in this eclipse, it requires the use of specialized eye protection to avoid permanent damage when watching it.

If you want to see the full spectacle of a total solar eclipse in which the moon completely hides the sun and reveals the subtle glow of the sun’s atmosphere or corona, you have to wait until only spring. On April 8, 2024, the next “Great American Eclipse” will cross the central and northeastern United States.

Ride with the hunter’s moon

The moon begins the month rising in the late evening near Jupiter. During October’s first week, you will find our natural satellite passing through the bright stars of the winter constellations before moving into the rising stars of the springtime sky.

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The moon is absent from the sky at mid-month when the solar eclipse occurs. But it returns to wax to its full phase, which falls on the 28th at 4:24 p.m. Eastern time. Early risers on the morning of the 5th can spot the moon close to the bright star Pollux, while the moon gives dazzling Venus a visit in the pre-dawn sky on the 10th. The moon visits Saturn on the evening of the 23rd and rejoins Jupiter on the 28th.

October’s full moon on the 28th is widely known as the hunter’s moon, and it shares some of the same orbital geometry that produced last month’s harvest moon. Once again, the shallow angle of the moon’s orbit with respect to the eastern horizon causes successive moonrises to be around the same time. Since the fields have already been harvested, there is little cover for game birds and animals, and hunters take advantage of the light of the rising moon to pursue their quarry.

Stories in the stars

The autumn sky brings an interesting bevy of constellations into view that are all characters in one of the great legends of ancient Greek mythology. You will find these constellations high in the northeastern sky at about 10 p.m. in mid-October.

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Start your search by finding a compact group of stars that resemble the letter W. These stars represent Cassiopeia, the mythical queen of Ethiopia who was consumed by her vanity. She spent much of her time gazing at herself in a mirror and boasted that her beauty surpassed those of the Sea Nymphs, the demigod daughters of Neptune. Naturally, this boast by a mere mortal ruffled a few feathers, so Neptune demanded appropriate restitution in the form of a sacrifice. The victim, though, would be Cassiopeia’s daughter Andromeda, who was chained to a rock to be devoured by the sea monster Cetus.

All appeared lost until the arrival of the hero, Perseus, on his flying steed, Pegasus. Perseus had just dispatched the ferocious Gorgon Medusa, who had snakes for hair and could turn people to stone with her gaze. Perseus beheaded Medusa by looking at her reflection in his polished shield. Upon finding the bound Andromeda, Perseus trained the severed Medusa’s head toward Cetus, who instantly turned into a giant boulder. Andromeda and Perseus rode Pegasus off to a happy ending, and Cassiopeia learned a valuable lesson in humility.

The stars of Cassiopeia stand above a wishbone-shaped asterism that represents Perseus. If you watch closely over a few nights, you may notice that the second-brightest star in Perseus appears dimmer every 2.86 days. Known as Algol, it represents the evil eye of Medusa, still winking at us over the millennia.

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High in the southeast you will find a large square-shaped constellation that represents Pegasus, and between Pegasus and Perseus you will find two “chains” of stars that originate from the star in the upper left corner of the square. These are the chains that bound Andromeda to her near fate.

As for Cetus, he occupies a rather star-poor region low on the southeast horizon, but he has a counterpart on Earth. The rock that he became is the famous Rock of Gibraltar.

Saturn and Jupiter brighten the night as Venus greets early risers

Saturn appears in the southeastern sky as twilight fades and is easily seen all month. The ringed planet occupies a region of very dim stars, and its yellow glow stands out among the faint constellations. Saturn is a favorite target of anyone with a telescope, and viewing it inevitably causes a sense of disbelief. The rings are real, however, albeit ephemeral on the cosmic scale. In a few million years, they will no longer exist.

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Jupiter rises progressively earlier each night, and by mid-month it dominates the eastern late evening sky. It is perhaps the most rewarding planet for small telescope owners because of its four bright moons that change their positions from night to night. The planet’s disk is large enough to show its dark equatorial cloud belts, and occasionally one might sight the Great Red Spot, an Earth-sized storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere that has persisted for some 300 years.

The planet parade ends at dawn, when Venus dazzles early risers with its intense white glow. It will grace the morning sky until the beginning of next year.

Don’t forget Halloween

October ends with the darkest of the traditional “cross-quarter” days — marking the midpoint between the solstice and the equinox — when spirits roam the night and beg for appeasement. The nights get only longer until the December solstice. We can look forward to the return of longer days when the calendar rolls around to Groundhog Day on Feb. 2, the next cross-quarter day.

D.C.-area sky-watching gatherings

Want to look through a telescope this month? Here are some suggestions:

• Every clear Friday night: Visit the Analemma Society’s observatory at Turner Farm in Great Falls, Va.
• Oct. 7: Join members of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club for their annual Star Gaze at C.M. Crockett Park, Midland, Va.
• Oct. 14: There will be ample opportunities to safely view the partial solar eclipse, either online or “live” with members of local astronomy clubs such as the National Capital Astronomers and the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club.
• Oct. 14: “Astronomy for Everyone” — come see the stars from Northern Virginia’s only International Dark-Sky Park.
• Oct. 21: Moon gaze with local amateur astronomers at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. on International Observe the Moon Night.
• Oct. 21: “Exploring the Sky” is presented by the National Capital Astronomers at the Rock Creek Nature Center and Planetarium.

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