For the southernmost US and similar latitudes, the earliest sunsets of the year are happening now. Your earliest sunset depends on your latitude, but always comes before the winter solstice.

Although a modest shower, perhaps offering 5 meteors per hour, the Taurid shower lasts over a month and is known for producing dramatic fireballs, or exceptionally bright meteors.

The full moon of October 31, 2020 is the second full moon of a calendar month and therefore carries the name Blue Moon. It's also the smallest full moon of 2020. And it's near red Mars! Watch for it.

Use the bright waxing gibbous moon to find the red planet Mars in late October 2020. This is the brightest that you'll see Mars for another 15 years!

Look east after sunset - or west before sunrise - for Earth's shadow. It's a deep blue-grey band, curved as Earth is curved, moving opposite the sun. The Belt of Venus is the subtle pink band above the shadow.

These next several evenings - October 21, 22 and 23, 2020 - watch for the waxing moon to sweep by the gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn.

The Orionid meteor shower will peak around mid-week, with the best morning likely being Wednesday, October 21.

You might or might not see the moon on October 17, 2020. But you'll more easily catch it on October 18, 19 or 20. Look west after sunset!

October 16 brings us the closest new moon of 2020. Some will call it a supermoon. You won't see this extra-close new moon because it'll travel across the daytime sky with the sun. But you might see its gravitational effect on the tides along ocean shorelines in the days following new moon.

The coming weeks are great for catching the zodiacal light or false dawn from northerly latitudes? Southern Hemisphere? Look for the false dusk.