Mon Oct 27, 2025 THE STORY OF PERSEUS AND ANDROMEDA
Well-placed in the eastern sky this evening are four stars which form a large square – this is the great square of the constellation Pegasus the Flying Horse. North of the square there’s Cassiopeia, which resembles a letter W. Queen Cassiopeia was a boastful woman who thought herself more beautiful than the mermaids. In punishment, the sea god Poseidon sent Cetus, the sea monster, those stars below Pegasus and Pisces, to devour Cassiopeia’s daughter, the princess Andromeda, marked by several stars between Cassiopeia and Pegasus. But the hero Perseus, a scattering of stars east of Cassiopeia, came to the rescue by showing Medusa’s head to the sea monster. Cetus looked at the gorgon’s snake-infested head, turned to stone and sank. Then Perseus flew off with Andromeda on the back of Pegasus, and a happy ending.
Tue Oct 28, 2025 ALGOL, THE DEMON STAR/ASTRONOMY CLUB MEET
In the northeast sky this evening there is a star named Algol. Algol is not particularly bright, but it is a very unusual star. The name Algol comes from its Arabic designation as “the demon,” and is also where we get the word, “ghoul.” Algol is a trinary star system, and two of the stars are so aligned with our planet that about every sixty-nine hours, we can observe one star pass directly in front of the other, and the light from this triple star dims. To the ancients, this was like the winking of a demon’s eye and it became the eye of the gorgon Medusa, whose glance could turn anyone who looked upon her into stone. While you can’t look at a gorgon, you can certainly watch tonight’s meeting of the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society, which will be at 7:30 this evening at Indian River State College’s Science Center in Fort Pierce.
Wed Oct 29, 2025 FIFTY YEARS OF POINTING OUT DOTS ON THE CEILING
When I enrolled at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, I pursued and earned a bachelor’s degree in geology and earth science education. During my junior year at Plattsburgh, I took an astronomy class and one of the college’s astronomy instructors told us he was looking for students to help out at their planetarium. So I volunteered, and after a month of working under the starry dome, I decided that this is what I wanted to do after I got out of college. Well that was back in the autumn of 1975, and now, fifty years later I am still pointing out dots on the ceiling and naming them, showing off the constellations in the sky and talking about astronomy. Because of that, I do my best to pass this opportunity on to our students here in Florida. Keep that in mind when you enroll at Indian River State College!
Thu Oct 30, 2025 FISHMOUTH
As October draws to a close, skywatchers may have noticed a fairly bright star low in the southeast after sunset. This star is named “fish-mouth.” Well, that’s the English translation; in the original Arabic, it’s Fomalhaut. It marks the mouth of the constellation Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, and as you may have guessed, it’s a bit to the south and the west of the more famous zodiacal star pattern of Pisces. This southern fish catches the water spilled out from the water jug of the constellation Aquarius, who is poised above both Fomalhaut and another zodiacal star pattern, Capricornus, the Sea Goat. Just to the west of Fomalhaut there is a graceful crane named Grus as well as a dolphin called Delphinus. There are an awful lot of watery constellations in this part of the sky!
Fri Oct 31, 2025 STAR CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
If you’re out trick or treating tonight, and the skies are clear, you’ll be able to see some constellations that are suited for Halloween. The three stars in the summer triangle overhead, represent man-eating birds that were chased from the Stymphalian swamps by the hero Hercules. At sunset, the constellations of Scorpius the scorpion is sinking into the southwest. A scattering of stars in the southeast this evening mark the location of Cetus the Whale – a sea monster in Greek mythology. Perseus the hero, over in the northeast, holds out the snake-haired head of the gorgon Medusa, while Draco the dragon guards the northern skies tonight. And after midnight, Canis Major rises in the southeast. He is associated with the three-headed dog Cerberus who guarded the gates of the Underworld.
