October 2008 Monthly Sky Guide

Venus is again the queen of the night sky this month. She'll continue to get easier to see as the month progresses.

Learn more about the planets Venus and take a solar system tour.

Check out this map for the month of October, or create your own customized map with our Free Sky Maps tool.

Note: This map is for a median time and location and October have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.

Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.

Check out our Astronomical Events Calendar to learn about other happenings in space and on Earth. Here is a sampling of highlights.

• 1: NASA's 50th Birthday (1958)
• 5: Moon at Apogee
• 7: Mercury is in Inferior Conjunction with the Sun
• 13: British Interplanetary Society's 75th Birthday (1933)
• 17: Moon at Perigee
• 21: Orionids Meteor Shower Peaks
• 22: Mercury is at the Greatest Elongation
• 29: 70th Anniversary (1938), Orson Welles' Broadcast of the "War of the Worlds"
• 31: Asteroid 13681 Monty Python Closest Approach To Earth (2.145 AU)

This month, the constellation Andromeda can be seen high in the sky. Let's take a closer look at Andromeda.

• Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia
• Genitive: Andromedae
• Abbreviations: And, Andr
• Right Ascension, (h): 1
• Declination, (deg): 40N

John Young's achievements during his 42-year career at NASA are unmatched. John Young was the first human to fly in space six times and launch seven times, six times from Earth and once from the moon. John Young is the only astronaut to pilot four different types of spacecraft, flying in the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. John Young is the longest serving astronaut in history.

Check every day to learn what happened "This Day in History."

• 1: 1958 - First official day of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• 4: 1957_ the USSR launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.
• 18: 1989 - Galileo - USA & Europe Jupiter Orbiter/Atmospheric Probe launched.
• 22: 1905 - Karl Guthe Jansky, inventor of radio astronomy, born in Norman, Oklahoma.