 | | Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version | | | |  | What's Up This Week? October begins with the moon showing off some of its most famous features. Crater Copernicus takes center stage midweek, followed by Kepler's bright rays later in the week. Beyond the moon, the dwarf planet Ceres shines at its brightest of the year on Oct. 2, while Saturn and Neptune pair up with the nearly full moon on Sunday night. Whether you're gazing with binoculars or exploring lunar geology through a telescope, there's plenty to enjoy under this week's skies. Here's what to watch for this week. Clear skies,
Daisy
Reference Editor, Space.com | |  | | (Starry Night) | The prominent lunar crater Copernicus stands out in Oceanus Procellarum, south of Mare Imbrium. Visible to the naked eye, it becomes stunning through a telescope with terraced walls, a central peak, and rays extending hundreds of miles. This is one of the best times of the month to see it in detail. | |  | | (Starry Night) | The dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, reaches opposition, shining at magnitude 7.65. That makes it bright enough for binoculars or a small telescope. Look near the star Eta Ceti in the southeastern sky after dark. | |  | | (Starry Night) | Kepler, a small but striking 20-mile-wide crater, gleams west of Copernicus in the dark plain of Oceanus Procellarum. Its sharp rim and bright ejecta rays make it visible without magnification, but a telescope reveals its terraced walls and central floor features. | |  | | (Starry Night) | After sunset, the nearly full moon rises with Saturn glowing just below it, and faint Neptune off to the side. While the moon's glare will make Neptune hard to see, binoculars can capture all three together. Watch as their arrangement shifts through the night due to both lunar motion and Earth's rotation. | | | | Moon Calendar  | | (Cruphoto/Getty Images) | This week the moon approaches fullness, lighting up the night sky and washing out fainter stars. While that makes deep-sky observing tricky, it's the perfect time to study lunar craters like Copernicus and Kepler, whose bright ray systems are most striking under high illumination. The nearly full moon also provides wonderful opportunities for moonrise photography, especially when it appears large and golden near the horizon. | | | | Meteor Shower Alert! | Orionid meteors become visible when debris from Halley's Comet collides with Earth's atmosphere. | | | | In The News | The 2025 Harvest Moon won't shine in September; instead, October claims the title. Here's why it happens and when to see it. | | | | Northern Lights Forecast | The latest aurora forecast for tonight help you make sure you're in the right place at the right time to see the northern lights. | | | | Your Amazing Astrophotos | The Milky Way's closest neighbor shines in a spectacular new astrophotography portrait. | | | | Astronomy Kit and Accessories | Amazon Spring Deal Days are nearly here, we've rounded some of the best pre-sale offers. | | | These compact, image stabilized Nikon 12x25 binoculars are some of the best small binoculars I've ever tested and I highly recommend them for stargazing. | | | | Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. | |  | |  | Follow Night Sky This Week |  |  |  |  | | | | | Future US LLC © | | Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036. | | | | |
