On this night, the Moon makes a close approach to bright orange-hued star Pollux. Together with the star Castor, this pair of twins are how the Gemini constellation gets its name. Keen stargazers will enjoy seeing Mars as well which sits off above and to the right of the Moon. The Gemini constellation, Moon and Mars will all have risen by 1am, and will make a lovely view.
Your best viewing for this pair of stars, the Moon and Mars is around 2am, in the north-eastern sky.
Use the Stellarium image above as a guide, and grab a copy of the latest Astronomy Australia almanac from Stargazers Club WA and learn all you need to know about what to see in our night sky.
When and where to look:
After 2am, 24th October above the north-eastern horizon.
For telescopes
Now is a great time to view Jupiter, Saturn and Mars through a telescope because they are all in the night sky.
What’s the best time of night to use your telescope? As Earth spins on its axis, it appears that all objects in the night sky rise in the east and set in the west. Just like our Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so does the Moon, planets, stars and galaxies.
The best time to view objects through a telescope is when the object you want to look at is high in the night sky. When you’re looking directly upward, you’re looking through the least amount of Earth’s atmosphere. You’ll find you get a much better view. If you look at the object when it’s low on the horizon, you’re looking through a thicker slice of the atmosphere and the object won’t appear as crisp through the eyepiece. Try it out for yourself to see the difference.