In the Sky This Month

The three stars of the Summer Triangle are still high in the west on late-October evenings, while Taurus is climbing into view in the east. And three planets are visible before midnight: Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter.

The Moon goes face to face with the lion early tomorrow. At first light, Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, will stand close to the lower right of the Moon. Algieba, a star in the lion’s mane, will be a little farther to the left of the Moon.

Capella is one of the brightest beacons in the night sky. The yellow-orange star is in good view in the northeast by mid-evening, and stands high overhead a few hours before dawn. It’s the sixth-brightest star system in the night sky, so it’s hard to miss.

Pollux, Castor, and Mars will line up near the last-quarter Moon at dawn tomorrow. Mars looks like a bright orange star to the upper right of the Moon. Pollux and Castor, the twin stars of Gemini, will stand above Mars.

Look for Mars below the Moon as they climb into good view, after midnight. The planet looks like a bright orange star. The true stars Pollux and Castor, which represent the twins of Gemini, line up to the left of the Moon.

The planet Venus and the star Antares are meeting in the evening twilight. Venus is the dazzling Evening Star. Antares, the heart of the scorpion, is to the left of Venus tonight. They will stand closest together on Thursday and Friday.

The star Elnath will be close to the lower left of the Moon as they climb into view by about 11 p.m. The brilliant planet Jupiter will be close by. The Moon will move closer to Elnath during the night. They will be at their closest in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

The Moon has several bright companions the next two nights. The star Aldebaran stands below the Moon as they heave into view, with the bright planet Jupiter farther to the lower left of the Moon. The star Elnath is about the same distance from the Moon, to the upper left of Jupiter.

The Orionid meteor shower is building toward its peak, which should come tonight and tomorrow night. Unfortunately, the Moon is just past full, so its glare will wash out all but the brightest of these “shooting stars.”

The star Pherkad, which forms the lower outer corner of the Little Dipper’s bowl, is much bigger, brighter, and heavier than the Sun. Over a period of a few hours, though, its brightness varies by a few percent.