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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through October 21, 2015. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.

The moon was new on the 12th and returns to visibility, in the evening sky, on Wednesday night, the 14th. On the 15th, the moon will appear to the lower right of the planet Saturn, and on the 16th, it will appear to the planet’s upper left, and above the bright star Antares of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. The moon will be first quarter on the 20th. On the 21st, the moon sets at 12:30 a.m.

Meteors from the annual Orionid meteor shower should appear in increasing numbers as the shower approaches its maximum on the early morning of the 23rd. The shower is visible between midnight and dawn, and the meteors appear to come from the direction of the club of the constellation Orion the Hunter. Between the mornings of the 14th and 21st and, under dark skies, free from light pollution, observers can expect to see meteor rates change from morning to morning from 4 to about 20 Orionids per hour. The Orionid meteor shower is caused when fragments of dusty material (meteoroids) shed from comet Halley centuries ago intersect Earth’s orbit and are annihilated harmlessly high in our atmosphere.

Early risers can see the spectacular line up of objects including the brightest planet, Venus, the second brightest planet, Jupiter, orange planet Mars, the innermost planet, Mercury, and the bright star Regulus of the constellation Leo the Lion. Remember, for comparison, that your clenched fist appears about 10 degrees wide. On the morning of the 15th, Regulus shines six degrees to the upper right of brilliant Venus. Jupiter and Mars are just a little farther (about 8 degrees) to the lower left of Venus. Mars is then one degree above Jupiter. At 6:15 a.m., Mercury is a quarter as high above the eastern horizon as Jupiter, and can be found along the imaginary line extended downward from Regulus through Jupiter. On the 17th, Mars and Jupiter will make a striking pair, separated by less than one-half degree; close enough for both planets to fit together in the same low or medium eyepiece field-of-view of most backyard telescopes. By the morning of the 21st, Mars will be 1½ degree to the lower left of Jupiter, and Jupiter’s separation from Venus will have shrunk to under four degrees.

Free views of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, October 17.

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From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com