In the Sky this Week- October 17, 2017

By Robert Trembley  |  17 Oct 2017

This entry is part 72 of 253 in the series In the Sky This Week

Southwestern sky at 8:00 PM, Oct. 23, 2017

A wafer-thin waning crescent Moon is very close to Mars before sunrise on October 17th; there was earthshine from my location – morning drivers heading east got a real treat! The distance between Venus and Mars in the morning sky continues to grow; Venus getting lower, and Mars getting higher each day. Venus will disappear from the morning sky in Mid November.

The Moon in the eastern predawn sky Oct. 17, 2017 The Moon in the eastern predawn sky Oct. 17, 2017. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

Saturn is still a good observing target after dusk in the southwestern sky, but it is getting a lit lower in the sky each day. A wafer-thin waxing crescent Moon will accompany Saturn on October 23rd.

Southwestern sky at 8:00 PM, Oct. 23, 2017 Southwestern sky at 8:00 PM, Oct. 23, 2017. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

The Orionids Meteor Shower peak will occur on October 21-22; best times to view the shower are after midnight, and before dawn on October 22nd.

Location in the sky where the Orionids meteors seem to originate from Orionids Meteor Shower Radiant. Credit: Stellarium / Bob Trembley.

For a second week there are no sunspots visible from Earth, but the lingering coronal hole in the Sun’s northern region has gotten its own article and video at the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) website:

The Inner Solar System

This is the position of the planets in the inner solar system using the NASA Eyes on the Solar System app:

The Inner Solar System, Oct. 17, 2017 The Inner Solar System, Oct. 17, 2017. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

The Earth

If you click on the Earth in the NASA Eyes app, you will zoom-to the Earth, and you can see real-time positions of several Earth-orbiting satellites:

Satellites orbiting Earth - Oct. 17, 2017 Satellites orbiting Earth – Oct. 17, 2017. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Earth Orbiting Satellites

If you click on one of the satellites orbiting the Earth, you will zoom-to that satellite. Below is the Jason-3 satellite – which measures sea-level variations over the global ocean with very high accuracy.

Jason-3 Satellite orbing Earth Jason-3 Satellite orbing Earth. Credit: NASA Eyes on the Solar System / Bob Trembley.

Stuffin.Space

To get a good idea of how much stuff is orbiting the Earth, check out: Stuffin.Space:

Apps used for this post:

Stellarium: a free open source planetarium app for PC/MAC/Linux.
NASA Eyes on the Solar System: an immersive 3D solar system and space mission app – free for the PC /MAC.

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"In the Sky This Week"