Astroblog: Thursday October 23 to Thursday October 30

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Thursday October 23 to Thursday October 30

The First Quarter Moon is Thursday October 30. Mercury is rising in the evening twilight and has climbed past Mars. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Mercury on the 23rd. Saturn is past opposition, but is still visible the entire night. Jupiter is visible in the morning sky near the bright star Pollux. Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is at its brightest (still only binocular visible) in the northwest. The Orioind meteor shower is visible on the 23rd.

First Quarter Moon is Thursday October 30.

North-eastern twilight sky on the morning of Saturday, October 254 as seen from Adelaide at 05:23 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Jupiter is passing through Gemini and is near the bright star Pollux. Jupiter forms a slightly battered line with the bright stars Castor, Pollux and Procyon.

The inset is the telescopic view Jupiter at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

North-western sky on Saturday, October 25 as seen from Adelaide at 21:10 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is near Capricorn.

Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is around magnitude 6 (binoculars only), but it is well placed near some very bright guide stars (not far from the obvious pair of alpha and beta Capricornii) so it will be easy to find. It will will start to fade and the waxing moon will make it harder to see by the end of the week.

More information and printable charts here. https://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2025/10/comet-c2025-r2-swan-is-now-at-its.html

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on the evening of Thursday, October 23 as seen from Adelaide at 20:36 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Mercury is climbing above Mars and is easily in the late twilight. Mars and mercury form a triangle with the thin crescent Moon.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

Morning sky as seen from Adelaide facing north at 4:54 am ACDST on 23 October (90 minutes before sunrise), the Orionid radiant is indicated with a starburst.

for timing. viewing hints and rates for several Australian cities see my Orionid site. https://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2025/10/orionid-meteor-shower-morning-21-23.html

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at an equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.

North-eastern sky on the evening of Saturday, October 25 as seen from Adelaide at 21:10 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Saturn is past opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Saturn is visible all night long.

The inset shows the telescopic view at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, Saturday, October 25 as seen from Adelaide at 21:10 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Mars is in the north-west. Saturn is in the east

Bright Achernar is rising from the Southern horizon. Scorpius is setting in the west and the galactic core is coming off the Zenith.

The Southern Cross is sinking in the Southern sky. The moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury climbs higher in the evening twilight climbing above Mars. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Mercury on the 23rd.

Venus is lost in the twilight glow.

Mars is in Libra below Mercury. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Mercury on the 23rd.

Jupiter climbs in the morning twilight. Jupiter forms a slightly battered line with the bright stars Castor, Pollux and Procyon.

Saturn was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth on the 21st. Saturn is visible all night long.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky