The sky this week for October 24 to 28

The Orionid meteor shower, a slew of bright planets, and an asteroid for good measure, all in the sky this week.
By Richard Talcott

Wednesday, October 24

Full Moon officially arrives at 12:45 p.m. EDT, but it should look completely illuminated all night. You can find it rising in the east around sunset and peaking in the south around 1 a.m. local daylight time. It dips low in the west by the time morning twilight starts to paint the sky. The Moon resides in the northern part of the constellation Cetus. October’s Full Moon also goes by the name “Hunter’s Moon.” In early autumn, the Full Moon rises about a half-hour later each night compared with a normal lag close to 50 minutes. The added early evening illumination supposedly helps hunters track down their prey.

Thursday, October 25

Saturn continues to be a standout object in the early evening sky. The ringed planet stands about 20° above the southwestern horizon an hour after sunset and remains on view until nearly 10 p.m. local daylight time. The ringed planet shines at magnitude 0.5, more than a full magnitude brighter than any of the background stars in its host constellation, Sagittarius. If you own a telescope, there’s no better target than Saturn. Even the smallest instrument shows Saturn’s 16″-diameter disk surrounded by a dramatic ring system that spans 36″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Friday, October 26

The waning gibbous Moon rises in the east around 8 p.m. local daylight time. Wait about an hour for it to climb well clear of the horizon and you’ll see it perched just west of the Hyades star cluster in the constellation Taurus the Bull. Binoculars will deliver the best views of this pretty conjunction. If you keep watching throughout the night, you’ll see the Moon pass in front of the V-shaped Hyades.

Venus reaches inferior conjunction at 10 a.m. EDT. This position places the inner planet most nearly between Earth and the Sun (precisely 6° south-southwest of our star), so it is lost in the glare. But the brilliant world orbits the Sun quickly, and it will return to view before dawn in about 10 days.

Saturday, October 27

This week offers evening skywatchers a final chance to see Jupiter before it disappears in the Sun’s glow. Use binoculars to locate the giant planet some 6° above the southwestern horizon 30 minutes after sunset. Jupiter shines brightly at magnitude –1.7 and should stand out if you have a clear and unobstructed horizon. As a bonus, you might also catch a glimpse of Mercury. The innermost planet lies 3.4° (about half a binocular field) below Jupiter. At magnitude –0.2, Mercury appears about one-quarter as bright as its companion.

Sunday, October 28

Mars continues to put on a great show these October evenings. The Red Planet appears more than 30° above the southern horizon once darkness falls. The world shines at magnitude –0.7, significantly brighter than any star visible on October evenings, against the faint backdrop of Capricornus. A telescope reveals a disk that spans 12″ and shows several subtle surface features.

The Astronomy Magazine

Daily Overview of Your Stars & Planets for October 24

Venus forms a sextile to Saturn this morning, which can be grounding and practical-minded. We prefer to see one another and our relationships realistically under this influence. This can also be a time for placing a higher value on security, steadiness, and loyalty.

The Moon ends its transit of independent Aries at 10:34 AM EDT, when it enters Taurus, and then reaches Full shortly after midday. The Full Moon in Taurus is fertile and potent and can serve to awaken us to our feelings and desires, as well as to a new approach to enjoying ourselves. This lunation occurs just after a Sun-Uranus opposition, suggesting some surprise or abrupt elements to our epiphanies. Full Moons always pit opposite signs of the zodiac against each other but also invite us to work to achieve a balance between the opposing energies. The contrast between earthy, practical, peace-loving Taurus and emotional, transformative, crisis-oriented Scorpio comes full bloom now. This is a passionate and creative Full Moon, ripe with possibilities and learning experiences. Intimate relationship matters, such as personal comfort levels, sexuality, and values, figure prominently now. The Full Moon is a time of culmination and the promise of fulfillment of that which began at the New Moon.

There can be a strong urge (or need) to break free from old patterns in our relationships. Our feelings about a lingering problem or matter can become very clear now. While there can be a tug of war between closeness and independence, we might discover ways to interact while honoring both needs.

The Moon continues its void period until 10:34 AM EDT when it enters Taurus.

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The on Wednesday, the Full Moon occurs in the sign of Taurus. Full Moons always pit opposite signs of the zodiac against each other but also invite us to work to achieve a balance between the opposing energies.

The contrast between earthy, practical, peace-loving Taurus and emotional, transformative, crisis-oriented Scorpio comes full bloom today. The Moon in Taurus wants us to find emotional fulfillment through the simple, tangible things in life, while the Scorpio Sun draws our attention to complexities, intangibles, and mysteries. The Full Moon illuminates this conflict between form (Taurus) and transformation (Scorpio), and between collecting (Taurus) and sharing (Scorpio). This is a passionate and creative Full Moon, ripe with possibilities and learning experiences. Intimate relationship matters, such as personal comfort levels and values as well as sexuality, figure prominently now. The Full Moon is a time of culmination and the promise of fulfillment of that which was started at the New Moon. It is an emotional time—a time of romance, fertilization, and relationships.

The Sun aligns with retrograde Venus and the Moon with Uranus around the time of the Full Moon, and there can be a strong urge, or need, to break free from old patterns in our relationships. Our feelings about a lingering problem or matter can become very clear now.

This phase of the Moon occurs at 1 degree and 13 minutes of Taurus forming an opposition with the Sun at 1 degree and 13 minutes of Scorpio, affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 27 to 30 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) and 0 to 5 degrees of the Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) most significantly. Moon is Full in Taurus on October 24, 2018, at 12:45 PM EDT.

Astrology of Today – Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Today’s Moon:

The Moon is in Aries until 10:33 AM, after which the Moon is in Taurus.
The void Moon continues until 10:33 AM (since yesterday at 2:17 PM).
The Moon is waxing and in its Waxing Gibbous phase until 12:45 PM, after which the Moon is waning and in its Full phase.
The Full Moon occurs today in the sign of Taurus at 12:45 PM.

 

Retrogrades/Stations:

Venus is retrograde (Venus is retrograde from October 5th to November 16th). We have a little over three weeks remaining of the retrograde Venus cycle.
Current retrogrades: Venus Rx, Uranus Rx, Neptune Rx, and Chiron Rx.

 

Ingresses:

The Sun spends its first full day in the sign of Scorpio (the Sun transits Scorpio from October 23rd to November 22nd).

About Tonight’s Full Moon, The Hunter’s Moon

What is the Hunter’s Moon?

Every Full Moon is given a name based on the month in which it falls and October’s is known as the Hunter’s Moon.

Many of the names given to full moons can be traced back hundreds of years to the Native Americans and were passed on to colonial Americans when they arrived in North America.

“The Algonquin Native American tribes referred to October’s moon as the full Hunter’s Moon because it signalled the time to go hunting in preparation for winter,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.

“Since the harvesters have reaped the fields, hunters can easily see the fattened deer and other animals that have come out to glean and the foxes that have come out to prey on them.”

This is just one of many names given to October’s Full Moon over the centuries by cultures all around the world.

Across southeastern Asia, October typically marks the end of the monsoon and has influenced the nickname for the month’s Full Moon.

“For Hindus, this full moon is Sharad Purnima, a harvest festival marking the end of the rains.

“For Buddhists, this full moon is Pavarana, the end of Vassa – sometimes given the English names ‘Rains Retreat’ or ‘Buddhist Lent’ – the three-month period of fasting for Buddhist monks tied to the monsoons,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.

Occasionally, October’s Full Moon can also be the famed Harvest Moon, the name given to the Full Moon closest to the Autumn equinox.

However, in 2018, the Harvest Moon fell on September 24, just days after the autumnal equinox.

People heading outside to gaze at the Hunter’s Moon may also spot a few meteor streaks across the sky.

 

Why Does It Look So Big?

The full moon appeared so large in the sky as it is near the horizon, but it’s not actually bigger, in fact it is an optical illusion.

When the Moon is near the horizon, it also tends to look brighter or more orange.

The orange colour of the Moon near the horizon is a true physical effect, and stems from the fact when you look toward the horizon, you are looking at a greater thickness of Earth’s atmosphere than when you gaze up and overhead.

You can test this by just holding an aspirin at arm’s length, the aspirin will exactly cover the Moon when it’s by the horizon and it will do the same when you hold it up to the sky when the Moon is higher up but appears smaller.

Source

The Express

Your Daily Sun & Moon Almanac for Wednesday, October 24

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 116.48° ESE
Sun Altitude: 13.54°
Sun Distance: 92.453 million mi
Next Solstice: Dec 21, 2018 4:22 pm (Winter)
Sunrise Today: 7:10 am↑ 104° East
Sunset Today: 6:05 pm↑ 256° West
Length of Daylight: 10 hours, 55 minutes

 

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 292.68° WNW
Moon Altitude: -18.18°
Moon Distance: 238840 mi
Next Full Moon: Oct 24, 201811:45 am
Next New Moon: Nov 7, 201810:01 am
Next Moonrise: Today6:33 pm
Current Moon Phase: Near Full Moon (Waxing Gibbous)
Moon’s Illumination: 99.8%

Source

timeanddate.com

Planetary Positions For Wednesday, October 24

Current Planetary Positions
October 24, 2018
Tropical Zodiac

Sun: 01 Scorpio 05
Moon: 29 Aries 20
Mercury: 21 Scorpio 18
Venus: 04 Scorpio 21 Rx
Mars: 17 Aquarius 03
Jupiter: 26 Scorpio 47
Saturn: 04 Capricorn 22
Uranus: 00 Taurus 32 Rx
Neptune: 13 Pisces 58 Rx
Pluto: 18 Capricorn 54

Moon Rise

As the moon so bright and full rises in the sky
we look upwards to see our Mother
As the wild ground phlox bloom to its glorious pink
we look to see our Mother.
As the birds return and their voices fill the wind
we look to see our Mother.
The burrows are empty and the animals roam the woods,
our Mother is there.
The caves are empty as the bears roam the forest,
our Mother is there.
The wolf has emerged and she takes her place on
the ridge
howling towards the wind,
our Mother is there.

We feel drawn to the earth, our Mother calls us.
We feel drawn to the moon, our Mother calls us.
We feel the wind around us, our Mother calls us.

I stand before the moon and face my Mother.
I stand with arms reached out and face my Mother.
I stand humbled before her beauty and face my Mother.

I send the hopes of my family.
I send the prayers of my Sisters.
I send peace and love.

May she answer my prayers.
May she answer my hopes.
May she answer my wishes.

Blessings to my Sisters.
Blessings to our families.
Blessings to our animals.

All is done.
All is well.

 

—A Witch’s Prayerbook
JoAnne Spiese

Good morning dear brothers & sisters! This month has been something else. There has been some coming up continuously. Today, I have another doctor’s appointment. This time it is with the doctor who keeps an eye on all my nuts and bolts. It is only a standard check-up. I was informed that the doctors have to keep an eye on your new screws and pins for at least a year or two to make sure nothing shifts or gets out of place. For those of you who don’t know, I started out with a three level back fusion. Then I had a bad wreck, a drunk hit me in the side of our truck and rolled it. Oh and it gets better, after almost recovering from that I had a stalker throw something through my cabin’s window and it ended up burning the cabin to the ground. The only way out was to jump out a second floor window. Between the car wreck and the fire, I had to have more rods and screws installed in my body. I feel like the bionic woman. So I have to go every now and then for a check-up to make sure none of my screws or rods have moved. Or should I say, “if I have any screws loose.” I imagine y’all can answer that question, lol! Love it, all I do these days is go to the doctor.

After that we are going to town. I don’t know if you are familiar with the Vietnam Traveling Wall but it is coming to town. They needed volunteers to help set it up and also greet visitors when it is finally up. Some of us volunteered to do both. I volunteered to help with the opening ceremony tonight and practice is today. I feel obligated to help in anyway I can. All of my family served in the military at one time or the other. Most of them came back from the wars but I have one that didn’t and it bothers me. It was my uncle. He was a pilot in the Vietnam War and his plane was shot down. He was killed a few years before I was born. I can’t imagine what my grandmother must have gone through. Having a son go off to war and he never returns. They did have a service for him and I visit his grave, he is buried beside my grandmother and grandfather. But there is no one there, just an empty casket. To even think about it, I don’t know how my grandparents even dealt with that. You get a notice your son is dead, but there are no remains or nothing. You bury an empty casket. How awful. Even though I didn’t know him, I feel obligated to go and help out anyway I can. I owe him that much. He sacrificed his life so the rest of us could live in peace and enjoy the comforts our country provides. I am hoping I will find his name on the wall but if I don’t today, the Wall will be here through Saturday. I don’t know what I will feel when I do find his name. Tell him who I am, tell him I love him even though I never got the chance to know him. I do feel a bond to him. I have thought about him over the years but with the Wall coming to our area, his memory has been haunting me. I am sure tears will be shed for the uncle I never got the chance to know.

War is horrible and it is even worse when it hits home. I wish we never, ever had to send any of our brave men and women to war again or overseas. I wish our world would learn to live in peace. I know that is only a dream and it will never happen. There will continue to be mothers and fathers who have to bury their children. Children who never got to know their parents and people like me, who never got to know their aunts and uncles because of a terrible thing called “war.”

We will see you tomorrow, I promise. Till then….

Love ya,

Lady of the Abyss

If You Were Born Today, October 22

Although you are personally magnetic, you have a manner that is slightly intimidating to others, making you a little hard to get close to. You give off the subtle impression that perhaps you don’t really need new people in your life. You do, although you tend to be somewhat selective when it comes to your social life, simply because your work is extremely important to you and you value your time. There is a no-nonsense directness about you that inspires trust in others, however. You give the impression of solidity, strength of character, dependability, and honesty. Although you are an idealist and visionary, you still manage to keep your feet on the ground. You don’t seem capable of doing things halfway, and that includes your relationships! You are quite focused on achieving in life. Famous people born today: Jeff Goldblum, Catherine Deneuve, Deepak Chopra, Christopher Lloyd, Franz Liszt, Annette Funicello, Carlos Mencia, Bob Odenkirk.

Your Birthday Year Forecast:

Your mind is often working at top speed and perhaps ahead of itself in the period ahead! You find it easier to assert your desires and opinions. However, there can be times when you’re too hasty or impatient. You might often get frustrated if the results of your actions are not instant, but it’s best to cultivate some patience when it comes to realizing your goals.

Even so, Uranus finishes its transit opposite your Sun in January 2019, and this can help stabilize your life tremendously.

As well, with certain projects, you’re willing to go all in, and you can feel pleasantly dedicated to your work or ideas. This is a good time for serious and determined study and investigation as long as you’re engaged and motivated. You’re drawn to unexplored topics and ideas as well as looking for truths. You’re persuasive, too! You are inclined to do a lot of “digging,” researching, analyzing, investigating, and getting to the bottom of things. Increased psychological awareness of yourself and others can benefit you greatly, and employing strategy in your decision making is easier than usual this year.

There may be a project, idea, or person that demands much of your attention or occupies much of your thoughts. You are especially resourceful and determined.

You are, for the most part, optimistic, helpful, and ready to share your wisdom with others. It’s an excellent year for guiding, learning, and sharing. Big picture planning and thinking are in strong focus and quite excellent.

This is a year in which you seek out nourishment and naturally nurture and support others. Needs and cravings are in strong focus, and you’re drawn to those things you feel are more wholesome, healthy, and natural. This can be a year in which you make significant lifestyle improvements and/or positive changes to your home and family life.

Excellent energy is with you for imaginative pursuits. You are more sensitive artistically, your imagination is stirred, and you have an increased appreciation for subtleties. You are inspired and could even inspire others with your words. Some of your hunches could be prophetic. You are thinking more creatively, too.

You’re also quite driven to make improvements and effect positive change in the year ahead. This impacts many areas of your life beyond the personal, including relationships and work.

Certain elements of your social life and financial life are stabilized, secured, and more reliable this year. You may solidify a romantic relationship, enjoy stable energies in an existing partnership, or become involved with a mature partner. Circumstances may be such that you need to handle money more carefully this year, or this may simply come naturally to you now. Support from older people or authority figures may come by way of solid advice or more tangible help. Renewed ties to old friends are possible, or a new sense of responsibility in existing friendships, are also highly likely.

This is a year of initiative and energy, and it’s a period of powerful and enterprising ideas. Focusing will be the key to success. You are exploring new things, interests, places, and situations this year, and it becomes you! Do watch for impatience in both your actions and communications, however. You certainly have more courage than usual now, but rushing through things can unnecessarily complicate your life. Creativity blossoms in the period ahead.

 

2018 is a Number Seven year for you. Ruled by Neptune. This is a year of preparation, chance, and refinement. It is not a time of dramatic changes. Instead, it’s a year when reflection on the past is helpful, and when refinements to your life path should be made. It’s a good year to study and analyze. Unexpected twists to your life story and “chance” meetings are probable. Advice – take stock of your life in order to prepare for more exciting years to come, examine the past and plan for the future, get in touch with your deepest needs and uncover your personal power, don’t strain yourself or actively try to expand.

2019 will be a Number Eight year for you. Ruled by Saturn. This is a year of power and accomplishment. Actively seeking to expand, taking educated risks, and moving forward are highlighted. This is a year of opportunity, particularly in the material and business world, and opportunities need to be seized. It’s generally not a year to find a new love partner, simply because the focus is on the material world and your place in the world. This is a problem-solving year in which you can expect real, tangible results. Advice – take action, plan ahead, seize opportunities.