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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through October 24^th, 2019. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.

The brightest planet, Venus, slowly becomes easier to spot in the west-southwest sky evening by evening as its orbital motion makes it appear to move farther from the sun. At 6:30 p.m., the silvery gleam of Venus should be visible about 7 degrees above the west-southwest horizon–a little less high than the 10-degree span of your clenched fist when held at arm’s length. Venus sets at about 7:05 p.m.

By the time Venus sets, the planet Jupiter–the second brightest planet–is easy to see in the southwest sky. The planet Saturn, resembling a bright golden star, is also easy to find, about 20 degrees (two clenched fists, side-by-side) to the upper left of Jupiter. Saturn now appears on the left edge of the teapot-shaped constellation Sagittarius the Archer.

From the 17^th to the 24^th, the moon’s phase changes from gibbous to crescent, and it is last quarter on the 21^st. Moonrise is at 9:01 p.m. on the 17^th and at 2:58 a.m. on the 24^th.

The Orionid meteor shower will be at its peak before dawn on Tuesday the 22nd. The crescent moon, a day past last quarter, will rise just as meteors begin to be visible, shortly before 1 a.m.. The moon will be at its highest as the meteors are most active when dawn starts at 5:35 a.m. Even from a dark, wilderness location, the moonlight will slightly decrease the regular 16 meteor-per-hour rate that otherwise would be expected of the Orionids this year, but viewing from a bright city sky might reduce the number to about 2 per hour!  Orionid meteors, so named because they appear to streak from the upraised club of the constellation Orion the Hunter, are fragments shed centuries ago by comet Halley. The fragments become visible when they strike Earth’s atmosphere when the Earth is near the inbound portion of the comet’s orbit in October each year.

The International Space Station will move high in the sky over Los Angeles at dawn on the 23^rd. Outshining anything then visible except the moon, the ISS will cross the sky from southwest to northeast between 6:16 and 6:23 a.m., and it will be at its highest, 61 degrees above the southeast horizon, at 6:20 a.m.

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 free 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, November 2^nd between 2:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Follow The Sky Report, All Space Considered, and Griffith Observatory on Twitter for updates on astronomy and space-related events.

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