The Moon
The moon is at apogee, its furthest from the earth, at noon on the 5th and at perigee its nearest to the earth at around nine in the morning of the 17th.

On the 7th at 09h04, the First Quarter moon takes place, and is the other very low first quarter moon of the year. It is around 10° above the horizon when it is directly south in the constellation of Sagittarius. The half moon is enhanced by the proximity of Jupiter which lies some 6° to the upper right.

At 20h02 on the 14th, occurs the Hunter's Moon, named after Herne the Hunter, who leads the yell hounds across the early winter sky, and whose yelping can be heard in the skeins of wild geese migrating at this time of the year. Alternative ideas have been put forward for the name given to this Full Moon; another idea is that as the moon is now higher in the sky when full, it gives more light for poachers to stalk their prey. Another theory is that when the moon is high in the south at midnight, the constellation of Orion the Hunter is completely clear of the SE horizon for the first time since last winter. Look for the Hunter's Moon this year between the "cord" which is supposed to link the two fishes of Pisces, and just to the left of the great autumn square of Pegasus.

Last Quarter moon is on the 21st at 11h55 on the border between Gemini and Cancer. Earlier in the day at 06h it may be seen almost 60° above the southern horizon, almost in line with Castor and Pollux and is one of the highest Last Quarter moons of the year.

New Moon is on the 28th, St Simon and St Jude's Day, at 23h14. The moon passes 5° south of the sun in eastern Virgo at this time.

You may observe the morning cone of the Zodiacal Light during the first two weeks of the month. Look for its ethereal glow in the eastern sky several hours before sunrise - your last chance this year! Earthshine may be seen illuminating the night hemisphere of the waning crescent moon between the 22nd and 27th.

The Planets

Mercury passes through inferior conjunction during the late evening of the 6th; thereafter moving rapidly out into the morning sky for its best morning apparition in 2008. By the 22nd, the tiny planet is 18° west of the sun at 18h, and for one week before until into the beginning of next month, it may be seen in the morning sky as twilight begins to increase. Scan the eastern horizon and you will be sure to spot the bright star-like point of silver, named after the messenger of the Roman gods. On the 27th, Mercury rises just to the south of east at 05h15. At 05h30 the very thin waning crescent moon with earthshine on its dark limb, rises, and by 05h45 you should be able to see both Mercury and this beautiful aspect of the waning moon. The moon is about 3° above the horizon and Mercury is 7° away from it towards the upper left, 6° above the horizon.

The period of visibility of Venus as an evening star begins to increase during October, so that by the end of the month it is setting one and three quarter hours after the sun, and begins to look beautiful in the evening twilight low in the south-western sky.

Mars is too near the sun to be observed during October.

At the start of October, Jupiter sets by 22h, and by 20h at the end. It is still a prominent object in the SW sky in the early evening. At 19h30 on the 6th, there is a pretty spectacle of the broad crescent moon lying 7° to the lower right of Jupiter, and on the next night at the same time, you'll see the first quarter moon 6° to the left of the planet.

At the start of October, Saturn rises just over 2 hours before the sun but rises 5 hours before sunrise at the month's end. The rings of the planet look very narrow when viewed through a small telescope at the moment. The planet is in the eastern part of Leo and its distance from Regulus has increased to 18° to the star's lower left. On the 25th, after 03h you will see the waning crescent moon and Saturn rising in the east - the two are 5° apart, with Saturn to the upper left of the moon. Earthshine illuminating the dark limb of the moon enhances the spectacle; with the crouched form of Leo the Lion directly above.

Uranus, and Neptune are faint evening stars, and are classified as such because they culminate at the southern meridian before midnight. Uranus sets at around 03h, and Neptune half an hour before midnight during the month.

Some more remnants of Halley's comet may be seen in the early hours of the 21st, when the earth encounters the Orionid stream. Up to 25 shooting stars an hour are expected, and as the moon is at last quarter in the constellation of Cancer, 37° east of the radiant, it may cause some interference to the number which may be seen. Earlier in the month on the morning of the 8th, a slight increase in the number of shooting stars overnight marks the peak of the Draconid or Giacobinid meteor shower, whose parent body is the comet Giacobini-Zinner. The radiant, or apparent point of origin is in the constellation of Draco the Dragon. The moon is waxing and gibbous, but sets by 21h51 on that night, after which conditions become more favourable.

Constellations visible in the south around midnight, mid-month, are as follows: Cetus, Pisces, Aries, Triangulum and Andromeda. Cassiopeia and the Milky Way lie at the zenith, with the Milky Way spanning the sky from east to west.

All times are GMT - 1° is one finger width at arm's length.