October Skywatching: Lunar & Solar Eclipses, a Meteor Shower and More

Skywatchers have plenty of reasons to look up toward the heavens this month.

October brings a number of stargazing treats, including eclipses of the moon and sun, a dependably dazzling meteor shower, and good opportunities to view planets such as Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. A comet will also make a dramatic flyby of Mars; though that event won't brighten Earth's skies, it should find its way onto computer screens around the globe, thanks to the phalanx of probes circling and studying the Red Planent.

Here's a brief rundown of October's skywatching highlights, which should draw many people out into the crisp autumn air (or springtime air, depending on which hemisphere you call home).
[link to www.space.com]