Derekscope

The Moon at apogee

• The Moon reaches apogee ~ the farthest point in its orbit from Earth.
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• The Moon appears slightly smaller and dimmer in the sky compared to perigee.
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Mercury at greatest elongation east

• Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will find Mercury very low to the ground and difficult to spot due to a shallow angle of the ecliptic relative to the horizon at this time of year.
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Daylight Moon–Venus Conjunction ~ A difficult observation

• Daylight Glare
  At 17:30 BST, the Sun has not yet set in the UK (sunset is around 18:10 BST). Mercury and the 2-day-old crescent Moon will be lost entirely in the bright daylight sky.
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• A challenging daylight capture!
  Venus will appear close to the thin crescent Moon, but finding and photographing both against the bright daytime sky will require careful timing, focus and exposure.
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Mars is passing right through Messier 44 (Beehive Custer)

• Mars looks like a small orange-red point against the cluster’s many stars. (According to Derekscope’s highlight: Mars inside Messier 44)
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• Binoculars are ideal for seeing both together.
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• A telescope at low magnification can also work well.
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A few shots from Weybourne, North Norfolk tonight – Sunday 10th October 2026, so strong and vibrant, it was amazing, hands down the best show this year so far. It was even visible by eye as light pale whitish streaks but cameras capture the true colours.

Mars inside Messier 44

• Mars will appear as a distinctly orange-red point within Messier 44 (M44) is a large, loose open cluster containing hundreds of stars.
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• Binoculars are probably ideal (7×50 or 10×50) gives a wide enough field to see Mars embedded among the cluster stars.
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• A small telescope at low magnification can also give a beautiful view, but high magnification may make it difficult to fit much of M44 into the field.
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• The New Moon is on Saturday 10th October, so the morning of the 11th has exceptionally dark conditions.
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Mars passes Messier 44

• From Friday 9th October to Wednesday 14th October, Mars will appear to pass in front of Messier 44 (M44), also known as the Beehive Cluster.
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• This beautiful open cluster contains hundreds of stars and is located in the constellation Cancer.
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• Although Mars and M44 are separated by an enormous distance, they will appear close together from our viewpoint on Earth.
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• Binoculars will provide a great view, helping to reveal the many faint stars of the Beehive Cluster around the bright red planet, Mars.
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Moon near Regulus

• The thin crescent Moon right behind Regulus in the constellation Leo, while Jupiter will be nearby in the same general pre-dawn sky but further away but still in the morning sky.
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Moon & Mars

• For UK Observers
  Experience a stunningly close conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter in the early morning sky.
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• For North America
  The Moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter in a rare daytime lunar occultation, visible across parts of North America.
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Moon & Mars

• For UK Observers
  Experience a stunningly close conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter in the early morning sky.
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• For North America
  The Moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter in a rare daytime lunar occultation, visible across parts of North America.
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