Finds constellations of the Zodiac on October evenings.

Today’s sky chart shows the constellations of the Zodiac that are up after nightfall on these October evenings. In a separate chart below, we show the positions of the zodiacal constellations Aquarius and Pisces relative to the Great Square of Pegasus. 


First, the zodiacal constellations are the backdrop for the pathway of the sun around our sky each year, and of the moon for every month. Since the sun’s path lies within these constellations, you can look for them along the approximate path that the sun follows during the day from east to west across the sky.


Another thing you can do is to locate the signpost Summer Triangle high in the south to overhead at nightfall. As seen from the northern hemisphere, the ecliptic swings way below the Summer Triangle. An imaginary line drawn from the bright star Vega through the star Altair points in the general direction of Sagittarius, and a line drawn from Deneb through Altair escorts you to Capricornus.


As seen from the southern hemisphere, these same constellations of the Zodiac — Sagittarius and Capricornus — appear high in the sky instead of close to the horizon. As darkness falls, the Summer Triangle asterism appears “upside down” and low in the north to northwest sky.

Learn also the Great Square of Pegasus asterism, found in the east to southeast sky on these October evenings. The Great Square can help guide you to the zodiacal constellations Aquarius and Pisces, as shown on the sky chart.


As the years go by, pay special attention to the planet Jupiter, the fourth brightest heavenly body to light up the sky. It is often called the year star because this planet stays in the same constellation of the Zodiac for approximately a year. At present, Jupiter resides in front of Aries. So you can use Jupiter to locate Aries until the giant planet finally disappears from the evening sky in late April or May 2012. At this time next year, Jupiter will be in front of the Taurus constellation. 


By Camila L.