October Stargazing

Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.
John Lennon

Stargazing Summary

Some of the signature constellations of autumn scoot into the evening sky this month, including Taurus, the bull. Look especially for his V-shaped face and his shoulder, which is represented by the Pleiades. Venus and Mars offer up one last glimpse of themselves this month, although Venus quickly disappears as it moves into the morning sky. Saturn is climbing into the morning as well, leaving Jupiter as the only planet in good view throughout the evening. It is in the east as night falls, and climbs high across the south during the night. Jupiter far outshines all the true stars in the night, so it’s a brilliant accent for the autumn sky.

More stargazing information: http://stardate.org/nightsky

Radio Program Highlights

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October 4-10: Building planets. Young stars are encircled by wide, thin disks of gas and dust — the raw materials for planets. We'll tell you all about these disks and how they give birth to planets — plus talk about one star system where it's happening right now.

October 11-17: Dark energy. Most of the stuff that makes up the universe is not just something we can't see — it's something we don't yet comprehend. Join us for the mystery of dark energy, and the effort to understand it.

October 18-24 Moon meanderings. The Moon passes by the bright planet Jupiter this week, and they put on quite a show. And late in the week, the Moon will be full — the Hunter's Moon. Join us for details on the Moon's meanderings across the sky.

October 25-31: Measuring the stars. Even though the stars are a long way away, astronomers still know quite a bit about them — from their age to their weight to what they're made of. We'll explain just how astronomers learn all these details about the stars.

October Program Schedule: http://stardate.org/radio/calendars
Find an Affiliate: http://stardate.org/radio/affiliates.php

News From The Observatory

Tom Barnes Celebrates Six Months as Superintendent of McDonald Observatory
As Tom Barnes celebrated six months as Superintendent of The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory in September, he laid out several goals for the Observatory. Barnes, an astronomer who specializes in studying variable stars, took over permanent management of the West Texas site in March after serving as Interim Superintendent for four months. His 40-year history with McDonald includes 21 years as its chief operating officer, based in Austin.

Find out more: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/2010/0913.html

New Cosmology Videos on YouTube

McDonald Observatory has launched a YouTube Channel. The channel currently hosts about 30 videos on topics from overviews of the Observatory, to fighting light pollution, to skywatching event animations. Be sure to check out our new videos on Dark Energy and Dark Matter from the Texas Cosmology Center. Subscribe to our channel, and be notified when new videos are posted!

YouTube videos

Coming Up In StarDate Magazine

In the November/December issue, look back on the astronomy research carried out over three decades by the space shuttle program as it draws to a close. Comet and meteor expert Gary Kronk returns to discuss the popular hysteria surrounding the appearance of comets in past centuries.

Subscribe online: http://stardate.org/magazine