The early evening October sky doesn't contain any bright planets. These rise later in the night. There are still many interesting objects to see, and a total eclipse of the moon the night of October 27-28.
Neptune and Uranus are the only two planets visible in the evening. Neptune resides in the constellation Capricornus, the Sea Goat, while Uranus resides in Aquarius, the Water bearer. To see both planets, you need to know exactly where to look; your best bet is to go to www.skyandtelescope.com and get an accurate nightly sky map to search for them.
Saturn rises around 1 am; by the end of the month it will be rising around midnight. Saturn is in Gemini now. The Cassini spacecraft is still in orbit around Saturn--go here for the latest details: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm
Venus rises around 4 am, and at magnitude -4.1, outshines any other object in the night sky besides the moon. Don't mistake it for an early morning UFO; many people seeing this bright object in the sky immediately think it is a craft piloted by extraterrestrial creatures! Venus is in the constellation Leo this month.
Jupiter rises just before dawn at the beginning of the month, but is more visible by the end of October. If you are awake early at the end of the month, observe Jupiter and Venus in your telescope. Compare the size of both.
Mars rises in the sky before sunrise at the end of October. It is in the constellation Virgo, and you should look at a sky chart to see exactly where it is. The Rovers are still doing duty on Mars; go here for the latest information: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/
The October constellations are a mixed group. At sunset, you can just make out the constellations of summer setting in the west, while after midnight, the winter ones rise in all their star-filled glory. The Summer Triangle is replaced as the most prominent asterism overhead by the Great Square, which is in Pegasus. Look for the distinctive shape of Cassiopeia in the north, and also look for Perseus nearby. The Andromeda Galaxy is very noticeable as a large bright elongated smudge, even in binoculars. If you have a telescope, and especially if you have a dark sky location, you can see the dust lanes in our nearest galactic neighbor.
After midnight, search for the bright star Capella in the constellation Auriga. If you look to the right of the constellation, you will see a large patchy smudge. This is M45, the Pleiades, in the constellation Taurus the Bull. Look for Aldebaran in Taurus; it is a bright orange star. If you are awake a little later, you can catch Orion the Hunter rising in the southeast. Orion is a very distinctive constellation, consisting of the bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel, with a noticeable pattern of three stars as the belt, with M42, the Orion Nebula, as the sword.
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