Skywatching Trifecta in Early October

Casual skywatchers have at least three celestial events to seek and to photograph in early October--aurorae, a comet, and an imminent nova. Then again, they may be a bust, but at least you'll be out under the stars.

• A pair of big coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and the largest solar flare in this solar cycle have been topping the charts for solar activity. The onslaught of charged particles will be arriving at earth around October 4-6, 2024. Visit NOAA Spaceweather Prediction Center for updates. Another excellent source for news about the sun is Spaceweather.com.

  
  

  

  Coronal mass ejection (CME) from October 3, 2024. Image: NASA

• Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS transitions from a morning apparition to an evening spectacle, but you need a low horizon. Lake Michigan is a great place to watch the sunset in coming days; but by mid-October the comet is fading fast. See insights about finding and viewing the comet at https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/get-ready-for-comet-tsuchinshan-atlas-the-best-is-yet-to-come/.
  

Path of comet in early evening twilight after closest approach to earth. Image: Sky & Telescope

• Since you've got a low western horizon, photograph the starfield around the constellation Corona Borealis to get a "before" image of the upcoming nova T Coronae Borealis. Then you can compare it to an ensuing image of the Northern Crown after the white dwarf star emits its explosive light. The binary star could blow soon, or it could be months from now, but I'm looking every clear autumn night until the star disappears below the horizon for the season.

Corona Borealis (northern crown) over Lake Michigan

BONUS

See the Anniversary Star of the Michiana Astronomical Society located in the constellation Cepheus. Light from the star Alderamin (about 50 light years away), arriving now at earth, left the star 50 years ago when the club was formed.