The purpose of this feature is to give scout leaders, educators and naturalists an idea of some of the natural events coming up each month.  We will try to cover a variety of natural events ranging from sky events to calling periods of amphibians, bird and mammal watching tips,  prominent wildflowers and anything else that comes to mind.  We will also note prominent constellations appearing over the eastern horizon at mid-evening each month for our area for those who would like to learn the constellations.  If you have suggestions for other types of natural information you would like to see added to this calendar, let us know!

Though we link book references to nationwide sources, we encourage you to support your local book store whenever possible.

Sky Events for October 2024:

We recommend checking the NASA Space Weather Prediction Center forecast every few days for upcoming auroral displays. Some sources on the internet tend to exaggerate the visibility of these displays, at least at our latitude. To really tell if you have a chance to see them in Tennessee, compare what the NASA Space Weather Prediction Center shows with the image at right. It shows the predicted display for the aurora on May 11th, during the great magnetic storm beginning on May 10th.

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has brightened to magnitude 2.8 and was photographed by many with telephoto lenses in the last few days of September. Each day that passes will make it more difficult to see as it appears closer and closer to the rising Sun. But you may still be able to catch a glimpse the first day or two of October. Look a little south of due east. Scanning with binoculars will increase your chances of picking it up - just stop scanning after sunrise to protect your eyes. A better chance to view it may be starting October 12th in the evening sky, when you will be looking after sunset due west. It will appear a little higher above the horizon each day at the same time after that. On the 12th, locate bright Venus first and the head of the comet will appear due west at about the same height above the horizon as Venus.

For a more in-depth discussion and star chart look here. For a quick way to "discover" the eruption on your own, you can look at the pattern of the brighter stars in the constellations of Bootes and Corona Borealis.

In the image at right notice there is a distinct pattern that is formed by the very bright orange star Arcturus and the three fairly bright stars above it. Arcturus, Izar, Seginus and Gemma form a bright pattern in the shape of a capital "Y". Simply look due west as the skies darken in early September and you should easily be able to pick out bright orange Arcturus, which will be about 30 degrees above the horizon. It is the brightest star in that part of the sky.

Next look for the moderately bright stars Izar, Seginus and Gemma. These stars form a pattern in the shape of a capital "Y". If you extend the upper left-hand part of the "Y" about half the distance between Izar and Gemma, you will be at the spot where the blaze star should appear when it erupts. Each segment of the "Y" will be about the width of the fingers of your hand (minus the thumb)  held at arm's length.

Just get in the habit of checking the "Y" pattern each clear night. If one evening you see a "new" star in the position shown, you'll be among the first to see the star brighten. Since this star is about 2,700 light-years distant, you will be seeing an event that actually occurred 2,700 years ago!

Venus is low in the west after sunset. If you have a flat western horizon, look for it with binoculars about 15 minutes after sunset low in the West-Northwest. It is bright but it is very close to the horizon. You can use Venus to help you locate Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS on October 2nd as explained above.

Jupiter rises about 4 hours after sunset at the beginning of the month in Taurus.

Mars is in Gemini and rises about 5-1/2 hours after sunset. Mars is growing brighter and appearing larger telescopically. It starts the month 7.5 seconds of an arc in apparent diameter and grows to 9.1 seconds of an arc by the end of the month. You will be probably be able to pick out some details on Mars if you are patient and have good seeing conditions. The orange-red color of Mars will be more obvious as the month goes on. It will continue appearing larger as Earth and Mars approach each other for January, 2025 opposition.