It's anew week, which means a new, featured cosmic sight. This week's feature is not a sight in itself but a convenience that this time of year brings to astronomers: late sunrises. As the days get shorter, the Sun rises a little later each day. This, assisted by Daylight savings Time, results in Cleveland-area sunrises that don't occur until after 8am, which means no need to be an early bird when it comes to doing astronomy in the morning.
However. Come next Sunday and the return to Standard Time, that will end. So, while the late sunrises last, what's there to see in the predawn, morning sky?
With sunrise coming at about 8am, that means that the sky will not start to brighten until around 6:30, which means that one doesn't need to make much of an effort to get up early in order to do some pre work or school stargazing. Constellation-wise, the 6-6:30am sky brings a spring (yes, spring!) preview in the form of Arcturus and Spica, both very, very low in the East. Looking up a bit higher, Leo is easy to spot, as is the Big Dipper (now pointing straight up), and the head of Hydra. To put things in perspective, Orion and Sirius, winter mainstays, are in the Southwest, never mind the fact that winter is still, astronomically speaking, nearly 2 months away!
For planet watchers, the morning sky is rather barren, but it does hold Saturn, which is low in the East and very near Spica. Another planet to look for is Mars, which is conveniently placed quite near bright blue Regulus. At the same time, Jupiter is just about due West, albeit very low, too.
As always, astronomers in the Cleveland area should be sure to keep an eye on the Cleveland weather forecastand, for hour-by-hour cloud predictions, the Cleveland Clear Sky Clock. Live somewhere else? Find a clock and see if it will be clear near you.
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National Space News Examiner
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For more Cleveland Astronomy
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Stargazing weather for October
The tiny Hunters' Moon
Saturn's Earth-like moon
Another satellite to make uncontrolled plunge
One day, 2 planets at opposition
Sweetest Day star naming scam
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