October 2013 guide to the five visible planets [1]

Earthsky.org - 10/1/13, Bruce McClure, Deborah Byrd

 

Only one planet is easily visible at nightfall around the world in October 2013: Venus. Venus beams mightily in the west at dusk, as seen from across the Earth. You can’t miss it. It sets roughly two hours after sunset [2] at mid-northern latitudes in early October, and about two-and-one-half hours after the sun by the month’s end. Venus! It’s the beautiful “evening star.”

Saturn can also be seen from around the world – near Venus after sunset – as October begins. It’s much more visible from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere than from northerly latitudes. Why? Because the ecliptic, or path of the planets, places objects in evening twilight straight above the sunset in spring, instead of to one side of the sunset, as in autumn.

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