Maybe it's just the nature of the season, or maybe it's a combination of meteorology and astronomy; either way, the moon looks extra spooky this time of year. However, beyond the eerie look of moonlight spilling out from behind a bank of looming clouds, the moon is acting like a guide for many celestial sights in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, October 27th, the moon will pass in front of the Pleiades star cluster. For morning skywatchers, the moon will be next to Mars, Jupiter, and Regulus on November 2nd. Venus is also going to become visible in the southeastern morning sky in early November - and once again, the moon will help you locate Venus on the morning of November 7th.
Jupiter and Mars are also grabbing some attention. The two planets are going to be in conjunction with each other on the morning of November 14th between about 3am until dawn.
Addition news about Mars includes a Japanese trip to one of the moons of the red planet. The trip (called MMX - the Martian Moons Exploration Mission) will garner photographs and bring back some samples from the moon Phobos. The mission will return to Eart in 2031.
You can hear Astro Bob's Backyard Astronomy every other Tuesday at 8:20am on Northland Morning.
