Mon Oct 20, 2025 ORIONID METEOR SHOWER
There’s a meteor shower going on right now. The Orionid meteors seem to come out of the constellation Orion, which is why they’re called the Orionids. The dust and debris that cause this shower have a distinguished pedigree – they’re from the tail of Halley’s Comet. Protect yourself against mosquitoes, dress warmly, take along a lounge chair for comfort, and get away from any bright lights that might keep you from seeing a clear, dark sky. Face toward the east and watch for these shooting stars – perhaps a dozen visible each hour. Best viewing should be from late evening until dawn for the next couple of nights. Binoculars and telescopes are not needed, just use your eyes!
Tue Oct 21, 2025 HURRICANE IAN AND BEN FRANKLIN
Hurricane season here in Florida begins on June 1st and ends on November 30th. Except for a bit of strong wind and quite a lot of rain this past couple of weeks, big hurricanes have been missing us up to now. One of the first scientists to study hurricanes was Ben Franklin over 200 years ago. On October 21st, 1743 in the city of Philadelphia, Franklin was hoping to observe a lunar eclipse, but he couldn’t because a big storm came in from the northeast. Now Franklin’s brother up in Boston to the northeast later told him that he was able to see the eclipse and that the storm hit them much later.The storm hit Philadelphia first? Franklin gathered a lot of weather reports and found that the storm had moved up the Atlantic seaboard, moving counter to the local surface winds. And so he discovered the cyclonic nature of a hurricane.
Wed Oct 22, 2025 PLANETARIUM SHOW: SATURN, JEWEL OF THE HEAVENS
Today and for the next few weeks the planet Saturn rises just before sunset; it’s over in the eastern sky, a yellow-tinged starlike object in the constellation Pisces. So this weekend Indian River State College will be presenting a show about the planet Saturn at the Hallstrom Planetarium. “Saturn, Jewel of the Heavens,” highlights the remarkable discoveries that have been made about the ringed planet. We fly above Saturn, we sail below its rings, we pass its moons and even land on its largest one, Titan, the only other world we know of with a nitrogen atmosphere like earth’s – except that nitrogen is so cold that it also forms slush lakes that flow across Titan’s surface. And, if skies are clear on Friday night, the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society will be on hand to provide guided views of Saturn in the real sky, weather permitting. Join us this weekend - call the IRSC Box office at 772-462-4750 for tickets.
Thu Oct 23, 2025 NAME THAT CONSTELLATION - OCTOBER
Can you identify the thirty-third largest constellation? It is bordered on the north by Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer, on the south by Lupus the Wolf, Norma the Level and Ara the Altar, on the west by Libra the Scales, and on the east by Sagittarius and the Southern Crown. Its tail dips into the Milky Way, and there are many nebulas and star clusters within its borders. In the South Pacific it’s called Maui’s fishhook, while old Greek myths say it is the animal that killed Orion the Hunter. Just a few thousand years ago the Romans turned its claws into Libra the Scales. This evening the new crescent moon and the planets Mercury and Mars appear to the west of its head. Can you name this star figure, the eighth constellation of the zodiac? The answer is Scorpius, currently visible in the southwestern sky after sunset.
Fri Oct 24, 2025 SATURN, JEWEL OF THE HEAVENS – NEW PLANETARIUM SHOW
A new show opens tonight at the Hallstrom Planetarium. It’s called, “Saturn, Jewel of the Heavens,” and it highlights the remarkable discoveries made about the ringed planet. We fly above the planet, we sail below its rings, we pass its moons and even land on its largest one, Titan, the only other world we know of with a nitrogen atmosphere like earth’s – except that nitrogen is so cold that it also forms slush lakes that flow across Titan’s surface. One moon, Mimas, has an impact crater that makes it look a lot like the Death Star from Star Wars. Another moon, Hyperion, looks like an overbaked potato. And, if skies are clear tonight, the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society will be on hand to provide guided views of Saturn in the real sky, weather permitting. Join us this weekend - call the IRSC Box office at 462-4750 for tickets.