October astronomical calendar: a great opportunity to rediscover our place in the Universe

The equinox that just happened a few days ago, not only brought with it the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere, but also the clear skies that usually show the spectacular full moon again.

How many times have we not heard about the magnificence of the October Moons? Several studies point out that observing in this month that begins the moon bigger and more spectacular than in other months obeys a psychological phenomenon.

Since after several months of not being able to see, not only the Moon but the other stars, a period begins in which the skies begin to clear and we observe the night sky again, which makes our brain seem amazing views.

The best thing about this month is that it begins with a spectacular annular Eclipse, in addition to other phenomena such as the Orionid star showers that are extravagant and numerous, the Hunter's Moon and the cherry on the cake is the incredible view of the Tsunchinshan-ATLAS Comet that is captivating those who have been able to see it.

The Hunter's Moon

Like most of the names given to the full moons, come from the cultures of the northern hemisphere, the full moon of October is no exception and the to the occurrie after the September equinox, just the one that marked the beginning of the hunting season, is known as the hunter's Moon.

Which makes sense if we think that the previous Moon was the Moon of the harvest, the one that illuminated the fields for the last harvests before a season in which you had to save what was harvested and go hunting to wait for the cold winter.

Although in the current context, it no longer makes much sense to talk about going hunting, these names formerly given to the full moons are still used today and more and more people in the community of astronomy fans begin to use these names.

In addition to the full moon of October 17 that will happen at 5:26 hrs. (CDMX time), the other lunar phases visible in Mexico, will be on the following dates:

• New moon: October 2, at 12:49 hours. hours.
• Growing quarter: October 10, at 12:55 hours.
• Desining quarter: October 24, at 2:03 hours.

Each phase offers different opportunities for the observation of the night sky, but this month, in particular, we must be aware of the fourth crescent, as it coincides (for a couple of days) with the passage of the Tsunchinshan comet at its closest point to Earth.

Comet C2023 A3 (Tsunchinshan-ATLAS)

In MeoteoRed we have already mentioned a lot about this body, called by most media, as "The Comet of the Century", which although due to its brightness is captivating its own and strangers, we still have to wait for it to survive its passage through its perihelion to resurface on the other side of the Sun.

Discovered in early 2023 by the Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory, in China, and by the Last Earthly Asteroid Impact Alert System (ATLAS), in South Africa. It comes from the Oort Cloud, the Solar System reservoir for these impressive bodies.

It can be seen in two windows:

• Between September 27 and October 2, when it will be visible to the East just before dawn.
• Between October 12 and 30, when it will be visible to the West just after sunset, where

This comet has a hyperbolic orbit, so it does not have a regular orbital period around the Sun. This means that it will probably pass near the Sun only once before it is expelled from the solar system or takes a path that prevents it from returning in a predictable time.

Solar Annular Eclipse and meteor shower

Almost a year after the North American annular eclipse that put much of the northern hemisphere in lin life, another equal one occurs on October 2, which will even have a longer duration in its centrality, that is, in the territory it will cover, which is the south of the American continent, particularly in Chile and Argentina.

Unfortunately, most of the places it will pass through have forecasts of cloudiness and rain, so it may not be able to be fully appreciated, however in other places such as the Atacama desert, in Chile, where it can be seen partially, good weather is expected.

For its part, one of the most active meteor (or star) rains will take place this month of October, starting from October 2 and until November 7, you can see the Orionidas, coming from the remains of the most famous comet, the Halley, is a rain that usually has between 20 and 40 meteors per hour.

As we can see, this month of October, when the sky begins to clear, there is a wide range of celestial phenomena that we can appreciate, as always, it is advisable to look for dark skies, and use binoculars or telescope to better appreciate the beauty that the Cosmos offers us and the best of all is that it is Free!