00:00 What's Up for October?
00:04 Some great Moon and planet pairings, a mission to a metal-rich world, and a partial eclipse
00:11 of the Sun.
00:13 On October 2nd, the Moon rises a couple of hours after sunset, appearing super close
00:18 to the Pleiades star cluster.
00:20 Look for them low in the east after around 10pm.
00:24 They travel across the sky together that night, leaving another opportunity to see them the
00:28 following morning.
00:30 In the predawn sky on October 3rd, the Moon appears a couple of finger widths apart from
00:34 the Pleiades, having moved a bit in its orbit around Earth during the night.
00:39 Look for them high in the southwest, flanked by Jupiter and the bright red giant star Aldebaran
00:44 in Taurus.
00:46 On October 10th, look for Venus in the east before sunrise, accompanied by a slim crescent
00:52 Moon.
00:53 And in between them, the bright heart of Leo the Lion, bluish-white star Regulus.
00:58 On October 23rd, look toward the south an hour or two after sunset to find the Moon,
01:03 about 70% illuminated, hanging just beneath the planet Saturn.
01:08 Their close proximity in the sky will make for some easy telescope viewing of these two
01:12 sky-watching favorites.
01:14 The following evening, the Moon will still be nearby, having moved to the east of Saturn.
01:19 The full Moon on October 28th rises together with planet Jupiter.
01:24 These are two of the brightest objects in the sky, and seeing them so close should make
01:27 for quite an impressive sight.
01:30 When you gaze up at Venus, or Mars, Mercury, or even at Earth beneath your feet, do you
01:36 ever wonder how these planets formed out of stardust?
01:40 That's how planetary scientists think, too.
01:42 And this month, NASA's launching a spacecraft to seek insights into how the terrestrial
01:46 planets developed.
01:48 NASA's Psyche spacecraft is planned to launch in October on its multi-year journey to an
01:53 asteroid of the same name.
01:55 That's the first mission to a metal-rich asteroid, which could be part of the interior
01:59 of a planetesimal, a building block of a rocky planet.
02:03 Asteroid Psyche could also turn out to be a different kind of iron-rich object that's
02:07 not been seen before.
02:08 Whatever its story turns out to be, it's hoped the mission might show us how Earth's
02:13 core and the cores of other terrestrial planets came to be.
02:17 On October 14th, sky watchers in the Americas will have an opportunity to see a special
02:22 type of solar eclipse called an annular eclipse.
02:26 Along a path about 125 miles wide, the sun will appear as a narrow ring of light, which
02:32 is often called a ring of fire.
02:35 This narrow, circle shape is also known as an annulus, giving this type of eclipse its
02:40 name.
02:41 Solar eclipses happen when the Moon comes between Earth and the Sun and covers at least
02:46 part of the Sun in the sky.
02:48 When the Moon covers the Sun completely, we get to observe a total eclipse.
02:52 But sometimes the Moon is a bit farther away in its orbit when an eclipse happens, making
02:56 it look a little smaller in the sky and just a bit too small to completely cover the Sun.
03:01 When that happens, it enables us to see an annular eclipse.
03:05 The path of this partial eclipse sweeps across the Americas, beginning in southern Canada
03:10 and crossing the western U.S., before moving across Central and South America.
03:15 Outside the annular eclipse path, those within the viewing zone will still see a partial
03:19 eclipse; the maximum amount of the Sun that will be covered by the Moon depends on your
03:23 location.
03:24 Now, eclipse fans won't have to wait long for more excitement.
03:28 Next April, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the U.S.
03:33 Check out NASA's Eclipse resources online for info about both eclipses, where they'll
03:37 be visible, and tips for safe viewing.
03:41 Here are the phases of the Moon for October.
03:45 Stay up to date with all of NASA's missions to explore the solar system and beyond at
03:49 nasa.gov.
03:50 I'm Preston Dyches from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that's What's Up for this
03:55 month.
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