This article was contributed by David Baumgartner as part of a local series on astronomy.
There are many well-known constellations in the night sky, mainly because they have bright stars that make them stand out, such as Orion, the Big Dipper and Leo (the Lion). There are three constellations this month that many amateur astronomers, including myself, seem to forget about because of the difficulty in finding them and the lack of any deep sky objects in the area.
Our first constellation is Aquarius (the Water-Carrier). It was common to hear the calls of men in the hot, dry countries of the Middle East going through the streets carrying bladders or jars full of cool water, pouring it out for you into a cup. Aquarius is the Latin word for such a water-seller. This figure is a thin man with only three lines of stars. His jar is a small triangle of stars with a fourth star in the middle. The water pouring from the jar is some wispy lines of stars stretching south.
Next is Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish). At the end of the water stream from Aquarius is the one and only bright star in this group of constellations called Fomalhaut. This means “mouth of the fish” in Arabic. So Aquarius is apparently giving this fish a drink, which seams unusual. The fish’s body is the stars to the right of Fomalhaut. Apparently the word Australia means “southern.” I was not aware of that.
Third on our list is Pisces, (the Fishes). Pisces is even more of a stretched-out constellation than Aquarius. It is two fishes, each on the end of a string. The strings are tied together at a star called Risha, which means “knot” in Arabic.
Don’t forget the Orionid meteors peeking on Oct. 21. The moon is big and bright that week so it might take away some of the luster of the event. It will still be worth it though. You might want to try and find our three constellation of the month, a good challenge for you, and for me as well.
Clear Skies!
Up and coming events:
Oct 16: Venus passes 1.5 degrees of Antares
Oct 17: Moon passes 4 degrees south of Neptune
Oct 20: Full Moon
Oct 21: Orionid meteor shower peaks
Oct 21: Moon passes o1.3 degrees soouthof Uranus
Oct 24: Moon is at apogee (252,038 miles from Earth)
Oct 28: Last Quarter Moon
Oct 31: Mercury passes 4 degrees north of Spica