There's lots going on in the the world of astronomy and in the night sky this month. Here's this month's 'Night Sky' newsletter from Cosmic Pursuits for October 2020!

 

1. Much to see this month! Mars is the main event as the planet makes its closest approach to Earth until 2035. Toss in a couple of meteor showers, three more bright planets, and a rare October 'Harvest Moon', and there's plenty to see. Here's what's going on in the Night Sky This Month.

 

2. Our 'Mars Observing Guide' tells you everything you need to know to get a good view of the Red Planet this month. Get yourself to a telescope if you can and don't miss it.

 

3. Last month I announced my old 'One-Minute Astronomer' site would be shutting down and disappearing from the internet as a cost-savings measure. However, to my surprise, many subscribers wrote and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. So One-Minute Astronomer continues to live. Here's one of my favorite articles from the site, written almost six years ago, but just as thought provoking today (if not more so). Is the universe too dangerous for life?

 

4. Evidence for a ninth major planet continues to build. But could this planet actually be a small primordial black hole? A crazy idea perhaps, but one that cannot be discounted, at least not yet.

 

5. A new astronomy website, this one dedicated to reviewing stargazing gear such as cameras and telescopes: AstroGearToday.com. A promising site with an excellent editorial team.

 

6. Last month I shared a link to an article about why Venus is a better prospect for searching for life than Mars. A couple of weeks later, astronomers shared the astonishing discovery of phosphine in the upper atmosphere of Venus. It's origin? Possibly a simple form of airborne life. More details on this discovery here and here.

 

7. What form would life in the highly acidic clouds of Venus take? Astronomer Sara Seager of MIT speculates it might be a like a living rain.

 

8. In a world going off the rails, a bit of hope: astronomers from India and China working together to build observatories along their border under some of the world's best skies.

 

9. The sun has been very quiet for a couple of years, with very few sunspots, as its 11-year cycle reached its minimum. But it looks like things are picking up as the next cycle, number 25, is finally getting under way.

 

10. And finally a little astronomy music. With a rare October Harvest Moon, the first in 46 years, there's really only one possibility for an astronomy song this month. Enjoy!

 

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Clear Skies!

 

Brian Ventrudo

Publisher