If you live as far north as Anchorage, Alaska, the sun, Mercury and Venus set at nearly the same time in your sky, so you're sure to miss the planets. If you live as far south as New Zealand's South Island, Mercury and Venus stay a couple of hours after sunset, so your chance of spotting these worlds is about as good as it gets in October 2019. Are you somewhere in between? Read more.
Have you seen Venus yet? And will you also see fainter Mercury near Venus? Both are in the western twilight after sunset. Whether you'll see them depends on how far north or south you are on Earth's globe. No matter where you are, consider trying for these planets! You'll find Venus, in particular, surprisingly bright for being so low in the sky. Charts and more here.
Astronomers in Poland have just published the 1st peer-reviewed paper on the 2nd interstellar visitor, now officially labeled as a comet, 2I/Borisov. Plus check out the new Hubble Space Telescope image of this object. Image and more here.
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the sweep of the young moon past Venus and Mercury - in the last few days of October - might be your best opportunity to glimpse these worlds. Mark your calendar and read more.
Matt Aust - startails captured this rainbow while he was hiking the Kranzhorn Mountain in Germany's Bavarian Alps on October 9. He said: “Taking the photo of that rainbow was pure luck. I was on my way back when it was revealed. Grabbed my camera quickly and as soon as I had taken the photos, it disappeared. It was just a really spectacular sight.” Thank you for sharing your image with us, Matt!
