We will devote this mounth to the constellation Aquarius. The myth associates it with Ganimedes, the most beautiful mortal that grazed the sheep to the outskirts of Troia. Zeus fell in love... The planets Venus and Júpiter will be seen in the sunset. Saturn some hours before the rising. And Mars Polar Lander continues making discoveries from near the pole of Mars. The first snow of the winter in Mars...
Looking at the South at midnight we will see one of the constellations of the Zodiac, Aquarium. It is, therefore, one of the most antique. Several myths are associated with it.
The best known story associates Aquarius with Ganimedes, a considerate Trojan youngster the most beautiful of the mortals. The father of the gods, Zeus, fell in love and entrusted its favorite bird, the eagle, to bring him in Olympus. The animal took the teenager with the claws and took him away flying.
In the house of the gods, Ganimedes acted as cup servant; he poured the nectar into the glass of Zeus. In compensation for the kidnapping the god gave some divine horses to the father of the child. The eagle that had collaborated with the kidnapping became a constellation, the Eagle.
Aquarius is represented with the figure of a man who pours water of a big jug.
The constellation shows two very known planetary nebulas: the nebula Saturn (NGC 7009) and the famous Helix Nebula (NGC 7293).
Also in this zone of the sky 3 stars can be found with planets: Gliese 876, with three planets, one of them of 6-8 times the mass of Earth, 91 Aquarii and Gliese 849 with a planet of the mass of Júpiter.
In the lay of the Sun, looking towards the west, Venus will be seen completely during all the month. But she will be very near the horizon and the vision will last little. A little higher we will see the Júpiter planet. We will be able to observe it only until 23:30 at the beginning of month and until 21:30 at the end of month. Every time it will be lower and the vision will be more difficult.
Before the exit of the Sun, looking towards the east, we will be able to admire the planet of the rings, Saturn.
On the 7th October the Moon will show the aspect of first quarter. We will have full moon on the 14th, and last quarter on 21. On the 29th our satellite will show us the aspect of new moon.
Phoenix Mars Lander of NASA has detected fall snow of marcians clouds. The experiments of the probe into the floor have provided evidence of an interaction between minerals and liquid water in the past, processes that occur on the Earth.
An instrument laser designed to obtain datum of how the atmosphere and the surface interoperate in Mars has detected snow of clouds at some 4 kilometers above the place of landing of the probe. The datum shows that the snow is vaporized before attaining the floor.
The image represents a map of the night sky of the 1st October of 2008, at 23:30 hours (official hour), that can be used for the observation. Put on top of the head with the inferior part in direction South (S). You will have the North (N) in your back in the card, the East (E) will be in the left and the West (O) in the right. Then you will see how the stars of the map correspond with those of the sky. This planisphere can also serve to you during all the month. Only it will be necessary to be left 4 minutes per day of the time of indicated observation. This card will be correct equally for the 15th at 22:30 hours and for the 30th at 21:30 hours..
The sky of October 2008
Figure: Celestial map for the month of October 2008. Valid for the 1 October at 23:30 hours. To use it other days it will be necessary to be left 4 minutes per day of the time of indicated observation. Graph of the program Cartes du Ciel.
