Tonight’s gibbous moon appears in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The two rise in the eastern sky a short time after sunset. You’ll see the moon aglow in the eastern sky amid the dark night. Look carefully and you’ll see the familiar stars of this popular constellation.
Taurus is a winter constellation. Seeing it tonight bodes well for the clock that continues to turn, bringing the changing seasons. The star cluster Pleiades is slightly above the moon. The Pleiades, also called Seven Sisters, is a one of the easiest star clusters to be seen without binoculars or without a small telescope. Of course the sight of the Pleiades is vastly improved if you have an optical instrument to help.
The moon is brilliant and it will make seeing many of the stars in that area of the sky more of a challenge.
| Day | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 18 | 6:56 | 5:56 |
| Sat., Oct. 19 | 6:57 | 5:54 |
| Sun., Oct. 20 | 6:59 | 5:53 |
| Mon., Oct. 21 | 7:00 | 5:51 |
| Tues., Oct. 22 | 7:01 | 5:50 |
| Wed., Oct. 23 | 7:02 | 5:48 |
| Thurs., Oct. 24 | 7:03 | 5:47 |
| Fri., Oct. 25 | 7:04 | 5:46 |
| Day | Max (Fº) | Min (Fº) | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 11 | 57 | 53 | 0.62 |
| Oct. 12 | 56 | 54 | 0.43 |
| Oct. 13 | 60 | 49 | 0.01 |
| Oct. 14 | 67 | 49 | 0.21 |
| Oct. 15 | 62 | 50 | 0.07 |
| Oct. 16 | 62 | 41 | 0.00 |
| Oct. 17 | 64 | 51 | 1.65 |
This article appears in October 18, 2019.