The Planets:
Mercury:  On October 14, Mercury reaches inferior conjunction with the Sun (a point directly between the Earth and the Sun), where earthlings can't see it.  However, Mercury moves so quickly in its orbit that it soon moves out of the solar glare, daily increasing in brightness.  Mercury can be found in the east during those early morning hours before sunrise after October 18.  Its sky companion is the planet Venus.  For a spectacular 11-day period beginning October 27, Mercury and Venus visually stay within a single degree of each other (that is the width of your finger held at arm's length)!  Be sure to take advantage of this unique viewing opportunity.

Venus:  Just before first light, Venus can be found in the east.  The view of Venus is particularly great in that eleven-day period beginning October 27 when Mercury and Venus stand side by side in our morning sky.

Mars:  As Earth's orbital motion carries us farther away farther away from the red planet, Mars dims in brightness, although it will still dominate our southern sky at sunset.  Mars is in the constellation Sagittarius, near the handle of the teapot.  You can't miss it!  It's the brightest object in the southern sky.

Jupiter:  Rising around 1 AM in the east, Jupiter shines brightly in the constellation Gemini.  By month's end, it rises before midnight.  Jupiter will increase in brightness as we go through October.

Saturn:  Look for Saturn in the east around 11:00 PM, but rising earlier each night, so that it can be found by 9:00 PM at month's end.  Saturn is in the constellation of Taurus, rising after the V-shaped face of the bull.  Also this month, Saturn begins "retrograde motion."  Because of the orbital motion of a planet, its position in the sky shifts daily to the east relative to the background stars.  Earth, with its smaller orbit, will overtake Saturn.  At that point, Saturn will appear to stop movement. and then begin to move from east to west.  After the earth has progressed further in its orbit, Saturn will then appear to loop back, moving west to east.  Conduct your own experiment by marking the position of Saturn against the background stars for the next five months, or take a series of photographs.

Meteor Showers:
When Halley's Comet passed through our solar system, it left part of itself behind in the form of a dusty debris.  Comets passing through our solar system lose part of their tails when melted by the sun's heat.  As earth revolves around the sun, it spins through this debris, resulting in a meteor shower we call the "Orionids."  The shower radiates from the constellation Orion the Hunter. The peak of the shower is the night of October 20-21, but you are likely to see meteors both a few days before and after the peak. A better view can be obtained by turning off all exterior lights.  Of course, the best viewing is away from the light pollution of the city after midnight. 

Constellations:  Aquarius, Cepheus, Lacerta, Octans, Pegasus

Looking for a Little More?  If this Skyline whets your appetite, but you aren't ready to dive into the observing lists, try this website:  skymaps.com/downloads.html.  It offers a two page pdf brochure that you can print out for free.  It has a basic skymap and short lists of visual, binocular, and small telescope objects.  It is really good--check it out!