October 6
The Monster's Tail, Again
Sun Position
The Sun is in Libra near -6° declination. Northern latitudes lose daylight steadily; southern latitudes gain it at the same rate, symmetrically.
Sky Highlight
The Draconid meteor shower peaks near October 7-8, and October 6 sees increasing activity from this shower. The Draconids are unusual in that their radiant is highest in the evening sky rather than after midnight, making them rare among showers that reward early-night observers. Rates are normally low but unpredictable, some years have produced brief outbursts.
Deep Sky Object
M77 (NGC 1068), a Seyfert galaxy about 47 million light-years away. M77 is one of the sky's best examples of an active galactic nucleus, its core harbors a supermassive black hole surrounded by a dense torus of dust and gas, studied intensively because it is bright enough to be observed across wavelengths from radio to X-ray. In Cetus, well-placed for both hemispheres in October evenings, though higher in Northern Hemisphere skies.
Featured Star
Diphda (β Cet) is an orange giant (K0III) sitting about 96 light-years away, one of the nearer October evening stars. The name comes from the Arabic for the second frog, a designation that places Cetus in a broader arabist tradition of water-creature sky imagery, sharing the region with Aquarius and Piscis Austrinus. Diphda, the sea monster's tail, brightest star in Cetus despite its Beta label.
Around This Date
- October 7, 1959The Soviet Luna 3 probe transmitted the first images of the Moon's far side, showing a terrain far less marked by the large dark maria that characterize the nearside.
- October 6, 1995Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the discovery of 51 Pegasi b, the first confirmed exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star, opening the modern era of exoplanet science.
Cetus sprawls across a large patch of sky without a single bright star. It is a constellation that rewards patience over spectacle.