Hello ...
My apologies for the late release of this newsletter. Travels and the vicissitudes of north
Atlantic storm Amy kept me from my duties. But it's a busy month in the heavens, so let's get to it. Here's your Cosmic Pursuits newsletter for October 2025!
1. Bright planets, zodiacal light, two comets, and one of the best meteor showers of the year grace the long nights of October. Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month...
2. The surprising and serendipitous discovery of Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) continues to intrigue astronomers and imagers, while Comet C/2025 A6
(Lemmon) may grow even brighter as it passes through the northern evening sky. Bob King has an update on the position and visibility of these two promising comets.
3. The redoubtable Timothy Ferris has posted videos of his old television series Creation of the Universe, Life Beyond Earth, and Seeing in the Dark. They have aged well and still have much to offer. See them on his YouTube channel at this link...
4. Let's revisit an old article on Cosmic Pursuits - the pleasures of 'ugly astrophotography' - in which I take a simple camera, an old lens, a rickety tripod and capture untracked images of the deep sky. The results? Ugly, but tons fun.
5. Even in the one of the darkest places on Earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the darkness is fragile. Here's the story of an astronomy who fights to preserve it to
ensure we still have at least one unfettered place to study the heavens (gift link).
And the astronomy quote of the month - a little motivation for all of us to get out and see the night sky:
"Reality is merely an illusion,
albeit a very persistent one."
- Albert Einstein
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Wishing you clear skies!
Brian Ventrudo
Publisher
CosmicPursuits.com
