What’s Up: October 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Skywatching Skywatching Home What’s Up Meteor Showers Eclipses Daily Moon Guide More Tips & Guides Skywatching FAQ Night Sky Network A Meteor Shower and the Moon Near the Pleiades See Saturn at opposition, catch the Orionid meteor shower, and watch the Moon pass close to the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Skywatching Highlights Oct. 4: Saturn reaches opposition, making the ringed planet visible for much of the night Oct. 6: A thin crescent Moon appears close to bright Jupiter before sunrise Oct. 21–22: The Orionid meteor shower peaks; moonlight may interfere, so look before dawn after moonset Oct. 27–28: The Moon passes near the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters Meteors streak across the sky during the 2017 Orionid meteor shower, with the Milky Way visible overhead. Ben Goldstein via Flickr_CC BY-NC-SA Transcript Saturn takes center stage, a meteor shower lights up the sky, and the Moon visits the Seven Sisters. That’s What’s Up for October. A sky chart showing Saturn above the eastern horizon on Oct. 4, 2026, around 9 p.m. NASA/JPL-Caltech On October 4th, Saturn reaches opposition, giving skywatchers one of the year’s best opportunities to see the ringed planet. Opposition happens when Earth passes between the Sun and Saturn. That puts Saturn opposite the Sun in our sky, so it rises around sunset and stays visible for much of the night. Astronomers have long known about a hexagon-shaped jet stream that spans nearly 20,000 miles across Saturn’s north pole. But just last month, observations using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed a ten-sided atmospheric wave encircling the planet’s south pole. This southern hemisphere feature appears to be strengthening, giving scientists the rare opportunity to watch a giant atmospheric pattern develop. A sky chart illustrating where to view the Orionid meteor shower. NASA/JPL-Caltech The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of October 21st into the morning of October 22nd. The Orionids are created by tiny pieces of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet . They appear to radiate from the direction of Orion, but the meteors can streak across any part of the sky. A bright waxing gibbous Moon will wash out some of the fainter meteors this year. Your best chance may come in just a few hours before dawn, after the Moon sets. Find a dark location. Give your eyes time to adjust and look up. A sky chart showing the Moon next to the Pleiades on Oct. 27, 2026, looking east at around 11 p.m. NASA/JPL-Caltech On the night of October 27th into the 28th, look for the Moon passing close to a famous star cluster called the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Many ancient cultures had stories associated with the Pleiades, due in part to the fact that the star cluster is visible from almost everywhere on the globe. To spot them yourself, look east in the evening as the Moon and cluster climb higher into the night sky. The Pleiades appear as a slightly fuzzy grouping of 6 to 7 stars. They are visible to the unaided eye, but binoculars or a telescope reveal more spectacular detail. Here are the phases of the Moon for October. A chart showing the phases of Earth’s Moon in October 2026. NASA/JPL-Caltech You can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at NASA Science . I’m Raquel Villanueva from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and that’s What’s Up this month. Learn More and Get Involved Night Sky Network The Night Sky Network is a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy clubs bringing the science, technology, and inspiration of NASA’s missions to the general public. NASA Skywatching Resources Expert skywatching tips and more from our experts. Share Details Last Updated Oct 01, 2026 Related Terms Skywatching Earth’s Moon Meteor Showers Orionids Saturn Skywatching Tips The Solar System Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA What’s Up Skywatching Earth’s Moon The Moon makes Earth more livable, sets the rhythm of ocean tides, and keeps a record of our solar system’s… Solar System Exploration International observational observatories, orbital space telescopes, and planetary science missions are producing unprecedented empirical datasets that challenge foundational assumptions across astrophysics, planetary geology, and atmospheric chemistry. ## Observational Discoveries & Data Telemetry Using sophisticated infrared spectrometers, high-resolution optical arrays, and computational simulation models, researchers have mapped previously undetected physical phenomena with unprecedented fidelity. Recent telemetry from space missions and ground-based interferometers has allowed astronomers to probe atmospheric chemistry, planetary dust distribution, and stellar accretion physics under extreme gravitational and radiation regimes. The empirical data collected provides crucial calibration points for historical theoretical models: ## Methodology, Peer Review, and Cross-Laboratory Verification Rigorous scientific methodology requires that novel astronomical and planetary discoveries undergo exhaustive validation across multiple observational platforms. Data streams collected by primary spacecraft instruments are independently processed by secondary research teams using distinct computational reduction pipelines to rule out instrumental artifacts or cosmic-ray interference. Collaborative international teams across leading research institutes verify findings through synchronized observations utilizing space-based instruments (such as the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope) alongside high-altitude terrestrial arrays located in Chile, Hawaii, and the Atacama Desert. ## Planetary Evolution & Astrophysical Implications The broader implications of these observational findings extend to our understanding of planetary system genesis and solar system evolution: - Atmospheric Mechanics & Climate Models: Resolving aerosol composition and high-altitude particulate dynamics provides vital benchmarks for comparative climatology across terrestrial planets. - Planetary Habitability Baselines: Mapping chemical signatures and cosmic radiation shielding aids astrophysicists in characterizing exoplanetary atmospheres within distant stellar systems. - Orbital Instrumentation Advances: Testing novel sensor arrays in orbital environments establishes technological heritage for planned exploratory flyby and atmospheric entry missions. ## Mission Roadmap & Future Investigations Follow-up observational windows have already been reserved across major terrestrial and orbital facilities. As raw telemetry datasets are finalized and released to the worldwide scientific community through open data archives, international research consortia will continue publishing calibrated secondary findings to refine contemporary astrophysics paradigms.