Astronomers have captured the first direct image of two supermassive black holes orbiting each other in the quasar OJ287, located 5 billion light-years away. This confirms a decades-old theory and marks a major milestone in black hole research. The larger black hole is estimated to be 18 billion times the mass of the Sun, while the smaller one emits a powerful jet of particles.
New Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
A newly discovered comet made its closest approach to Earth this month. Visible with binoculars, it streaked across the constellation Lynx with a glowing ion tail. Its trajectory and brightness have sparked interest among amateur astronomers and professionals alike.
Meteor Showers: Draconids and Orionids
- Draconids peaked on October 8, offering unpredictable bursts of meteors from the constellation Draco.
- Orionids peaked October 21, with fast, bright meteors originating from Halley’s Comet. The New Moon provided ideal dark skies for viewing.
Planetary Alignments and Conjunctions
- Saturn remains prominent in Aquarius, with its rings nearly edge-on.
- Jupiter appeared near the Moon on October 14, creating a stunning visual pairing.
- Mercury and Mars came within 2° of each other on October 19, though low on the horizon.
Moon Phases and Pairings
- October 6: Super Harvest Moon
- October 13: Last Quarter
- October 21: New Moon
- October 29: First Quarter
Throughout the month, the Moon passed close to Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Venus, and the Pleiades, offering beautiful conjunctions.
Time Dilation and Interstellar Travel
A new study explores how traveling near light speed affects perception of time and space. While distances shrink for the traveler, time dilation makes real-time communication with Earth nearly impossible—highlighting the challenges of deep space exploration.
Recent research into moonquakes and magnetic anomalies suggests the Moon’s interior may be more active and complex than previously thought. These findings could reshape future lunar missions and settlement plans.