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By Mike Vergara, (951) 461-2889 It's October – finally! By now the nights are starting early enough that I want to bring out the telescope and catch late views of some summer objects. The "Summer Triangle" is an asterism that was named by Sir Patrick Moore decades ago. Before that it was known as the "Navigator's Triangle" by Pacific Islanders, who used it as a guide to traverse the trackless waters of the Pacific Ocean. It's high in the summer sky around midnight, but now it's high overhead in the early evening. I mention the Summer Triangle because I use it to find three of my favorite objects. The triangle is made up of three stars: Deneb (in the constellation Cygnus), Altair (in Aquila), and Vega (in Lyra). I use Deneb as a starting point to find Albireo, and Vega to find the Ring Nebula and the "Double Double." I have talked about Albireo and the Ring before. The Double Double (more formally known as Epsilon Lyrae) is a grouping of two pairs of double stars that are in orbit around each other. It is visually stunning, and it's also the source of a long-running joke: going to In-N-Out and ordering an "Epsilon Lyrae." It's a geek thing. October's full moon, the Hunter's Moon, is on Wednesday, Oct. 20. The Hunter's Moon is the full moon after the Harvest Moon (September's full moon). While full moons are nice, this year they will pretty much wipe out viewing of the fall's meteor showers. The Orionids will peak on Oct. 19-20, the same date as the October full moon. The Leonids will peak on Tuesday, Nov. 16-17, when the November moon is around 95 percent full, and December's Geminids will be almost washed out by a waxing gibbous moon on Monday, Dec. 13-14. Jupiter and Saturn are still high in the early evening, though. It's never a bad time to view the giants of the solar system. On a personal note, this month's article marks a full year of Night Sky articles for the Colony News. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them! To find where these planets and constellations are, visit http://skymaps.com/index.html. From there you can print your own map of the sky for the month. Clear skies! October Sky October Sky By Sam Currie Remember to mark your calendars! The Colony Men's Golf Club Pancake Breakfast is returning to the Auditorium on Saturday, Nov. 13 from 8 am to 10:30 am. Come have breakfast with friends and neighbors (and meet some new friends). Tickets will be available from Men's Club members in the Clubhouse and at the Activities Office. Adults: $6 – cash or check payable to CMGC. Kids (under 12): $3 (tickets available only at the door). Tickets for adults will also be available at the door the morning of the breakfast. Remember that proceeds from this go to financing scholarships for Murrieta High School athletes. Pancake Breakfast | THE COLONY NEWS | OCTOBER 2021 | 21 COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD