We are firmly into autumn with the Sun below the celestial equator. The Sun is setting much earlier in the evening, so we can schedule our walkabouts earlier – just after dinner. Civil Twilight Civil twilight ends around 7:15 pm at the beginning of October, and about 6:30 pm at month’s end, so you may want to skip dessert.
the summer constellations appear to linger above our western horizon night after night for several months because the sky darkens progressively earlier in the evenings. If you have dark unpolluted skies, the Milky Way will be in a comfortable position (not overhead) to observe with binoculars.
1 Summer Triangle on the Meridian at 10 pm
2 1st Qtr. Moon
4 Moon at Perigee 12:34
8 Mercury Max. Elongation in Morning Sky
9 Full Moon
17 Last Qtr. Moon, Moon at Apogee 06:20
21 Night for Orionid Meteor Shower
25 New Moon
29 Moon at Perigee 10:36
31 Sun enters Libra, 09:55
Dates for the Phases of the Moon
Planetary Configurations
When at Opposition, planets will appear on the opposite side of the sky from the Sun – very roughly on the meridian at midnight.
Conjunctions are when the planet has the same “longitude” as the Sun. A Superior Conjunction is when the planet is on the other side of the Sun, and an Inferior Conjunction is when it is between the Earth and the Sun. Only Mercury and Venus can be at Inferior Conjunction. Maximum elongation is when Mercury and Venus appear farthest from the Sun in our sky. This occurs either in our morning eastern sky (mor.) or our western evening sky (eve.).
Do not apply the Ottawa-correction times to the times in this table.
Prominent Constellations by Seasons
One of Canada’s foremost writers and educators on astronomical topics, the Almanac has benefited from Robert’s expertise since its inception. Robert is passionate about reducing light pollution and promoting science literacy. He has been an astronomy instructor for our astronauts and he ensures that our section on sunrise and sunset, stargazing, and celestial events is so detailed and extensive it is almost like its own almanac.
