Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
September 29:
- Denver Astronomical Society E-Board Meeting: Virtual via Zoom (check membership email or Slack for details): 7:00 PM
- First Quarter Hunter’s Moon: 5:54 PM
September 30:
- Look for the waxing gibbous Hunter’s Moon next to the Summer Rose Star globular cluster (M51) in the constellation Sagittarius low in the southwest: 10:00 PM
October 1:
- Catch the waxing gibbous Hunter’s Moon next to the M 75 globular cluster in the constellation Capricornus in the southern sky: 10:00 PM
- DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General & Beginner Meeting: Virtual on Zoom (Check membership email or Slack): 7:00 PM
October 2:
- Standley Lake Stargazing Virtual Program “October Highlights – News and Observing”: Zoom Virtual Meeting: 6:00 PM
- Venus at Perihelion, when the morning star reaches the closest point in its slightly elliptical orbit around the Sun, about 107.5 million kilometers (66.7 million miles) away, where it travels faster due to the Sun’s stronger gravitational pull, marking a key point in its orbital cycle.: 5:00 AM
October 3:
- Look for the morning star, Venus next to the Leo Triplet — a small group of three spiral galaxies — M65, M66, and NGC 3628, appearing close together in the sky and often studied for their striking structure and gravitational interactions, low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
October 4 (International Observe the Moon Night):
- Standley Lake Stargazing & Broomfield Council on the Arts & Humanities: International Observe the Moon Night: Brunner Farmhouse, Broomfield: 6:30 PM
- Colorado Springs Astronomical Society: International Observe the Moon Star Party: Cheyenne Mountain State Park – Limekiln Trailhead: 7:00 PM
- Fiske Planetarium: International Observe the Moon Night – “Forward the Moon” (Tickets required): 2414 Regent Drive, Boulder: 7:00 PM
- Northern Colorado Astronomical Society: International Observe the Moon Night: Willow Bend Natural Area, Loveland: 7:00 PM
- University of Northern Colorado/High Plains Library District: International Observe the Moon Night: UNC Xeric Garden: 7:00 PM
- AstroTours.org: : International Observe the Moon Night Tour (Registration required): Boulder Valley Ranch Trailhead, Boulder: 7:30 PM
- World Space Week Begins: international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition: October 4th through 10th’
October 5:
- The Moon is at Ascending Node as it crosses the ecliptic plane (the apparent path of the Sun through the sky) moving from south to north, an alignment that is especially important because eclipses can only occur when the Moon is near one of its nodes during a new or full phase: 3:20 AM
Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:
- Where to Explore the 2025 Denver Night Skies
- When to Explore the 2025 Denver Night Skies
- What to Explore in the 2025 Denver Night Skies
Sky Map
- The pdf map of the night sky from SkyMaps.com can be found at https://www.skymaps.com/skymaps
This Week’s Meteoric Activity:
You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.
- Southern Taurids (STA) & Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in southeastern Pisces: 3 per hour.
- epsilon Geminids (EGE): last few hours before dawn in southern Auriga: 1 per hour.
- Orionids (ORI): last hour before dawn in northwestern Orion: 1 per hour.
- Daytime Sextantids (DSX): last hour before dawn 30° from the sun in in western Sextans: 1 per hour.
