October 2024 Sky watching: Comet C/2023 A3, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and More Expect Over the Coming Weeks

October is something of a skywatcher’s bonanza, too, as the arrival of a new comet coincides with the opportunity to see several planets easily in the evening sky during the month. One potentially very interesting comet, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), will make our evening skies after 14 October. Of course, if it does emerge brightly enough to be the brightest comet of the year, it has a strong chance of being naked-eye visible under ideal conditions.

Planetary Observations for October

October is also full of planetary observations. Just after sunset, you will see Venus in the west low in the sky. Saturn is best seen as soon as it grows dark along the eastern SE horizon. Mars and Jupiter are best observed later in the evening. Mars starts to rise about midnight and moves up high in the eastern sky as dawn breaks. It can appear earlier as it rises during the month. These planets are worth observing for both seasoned astronomers and casual observers throughout the month.

Europa and NASA’s Mission

NASA is preparing its newest mission to one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa. The mission may launch as early as this October 10. The Europe Clipper mission is designed to probe the moon, which is said to contain a vast ocean hidden beneath icy surfacing, to determine if it can sustain life. This is the first mission to target the exploration of an ocean world beyond Earth and is a giant step for space exploration. Yet for those seeking a glimpse of Europa, viewing opportunity lies for October 11 and 25, when it will be at its furthest distance from Jupiter and can be seen well with binoculars.

Comet C/2023 A3: The View to History

From October 14-31, observers can see comet C/2023 A3, which will be low in the western sky after sunset. The tail of the comet could glow quite bright if illuminated by sunlight, and under such conditions, it can be naked eye visible, although this time, most possibly only in early evening of October 14-24. This is a particular comet traveling inside our solar system on an orbit of 80,000 years from the Oort Cloud, thereby offering views that come very rarely. Advice to view is using binoculars or any smaller telescope.