The Night Sky This Month – October 2026
(Looking for last month’s ‘Night Sky’? Find it at this link…)
Grab a sweater – or a parka, if needed – and head outside this month to see the solar system at work. Jupiter and Mars grow brighter in the eastern morning sky and rendezvous with the waning crescent Moon. Observers in much of North America see the Moon occult Jupiter on the 6th, while Mars passes through the Beehive star cluster, a spectacular event not to be missed. Venus moves low towards the Sun in the evening sky on its way to conjunction, but has an impressive meet-up with Mercury for southern-hemisphere observers. And the Orionid meteor shower puts on its annual show as bits and pieces of Comet Halley burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
3 October 2026. Last Quarter Moon, 13:25 UT
4 Oct. A waning crescent Moon lies high in the eastern sky near Castor and Pollux before sunrise. Look for Mars to the east in the constellation Cancer, and Jupiter next door in Leo.
4 Oct. Saturn reaches opposition and rises in the east as the Sun sets in the west. The planet lies 8.43 AU from Earth tonight just over the border of Pisces in Cetus. This marks its closest approach to Earth in 2026. The planet is slowly moving northwards and now lies about 2.9o south of the celestial equator, so it’s well positioned for all observers to get good views of its magnificent ring system. It’s worth the effort: Saturn is one of the most beautiful objects to observe in a telescope. At opposition, its disk spans about 19.7” and its rings about 46” and reaches a brightness of magnitude +0.3. The rings are tilted 7.5o to our point of view this year which makes for a unique view of the southern side of the rings. Our Saturn Observing Guide will help you get a good view of this lovely celestial object and understand what to look for. Saturn remains visible through the rest of the year.
5 Oct. Further east now, the crescent Moon lies tangled in the stars of the Beehive star cluster (Messier 44) in Cancer. Grab a pair of binoculars to see them together in the pre-dawn sky. Mars, slowly brightening, now shows a disk nearly 6” across in a telescope.
6 Oct. The Moon is at it again, this time making a close pass of brilliant Jupiter in the pre-dawn sky. Observers in eastern Canada and much of the U.S. and Caribbean will see the Moon occult Jupiter. Timing for various locations at this link.
8 Oct. Southern-hemisphere observers see Mercury just 5o to the right of Venus in the western evening sky after sunset. Mercury shines at magnitude 0.0 and shows a small gibbous disk about 6” across in a telescope. Venus, by contrast, shows a slender crescent that spans 54” and shines at magnitude -4.4. Each day, the crescent of Venus grows slimmer and larger as the planet moves closer to Earth on its way to inferior conjunction.
11 Oct. Mars pass through the Beehive star cluster! Grab your optics to help enjoy this rather spectacular event in the eastern sky well after midnight until dawn.
12 Oct. Mercury reaches greatest elongation 25o east of the Sun. The planet remains well placed for observation in the evening sky for southern-hemisphere observers.
12-13 Oct. A slender crescent Moon joins Venus and Mercury low over the western horizon after sunset (for southern-hemisphere observers only).
8-21 Oct. Over the next two weeks, northern-hemisphere observers with very dark sky can see the zodiacal light in the east about 90-120 minutes before sunrise. This whitish wedge of light appears to thrust upward from the horizon towards the constellations Gemini and Cancer. The zodiacal light is simply sunlight reflected off tiny dust particles in the inner solar system.
10 October. New Moon, 15:50 UT
14 Oct. A fattening crescent Moon lies low over the southwestern horizon near the red supergiant star Antares in Scorpius.
18 October. First Quarter Moon, 16:13 UT
21-22 Oct. The Orionids, one of the best meteor showers of the year, peak in the early morning hours today. They usually show as many as 20-40 fast-moving meteors per hour in dark sky. These meteors can appear anywhere in the sky and trace their paths back to the radiant near the top of the club of Orion. Maximum activity usually occurs between midnight and dawn. This year, the gibbous Moon gets out of the way after midnight to darken the sky for the faintest meteors. Like the Eta Aquariids in May, the Orionids are tiny pieces of Comet 1/P Halley that strike the upper atmosphere as the Earth passes through the famous comet’s debris field.
24 Oct. Venus reaches inferior conjunction passes about 6.6° south of the Sun (do NOT try to observe this with a telescope – it’s too dangerous).
26 October. Full Moon, 04:12 UT (Harvest Moon)