The Night Sky in October 2026
This month: Mercury is at its furthest from the Sun on Mon 12 October, 25° away in the evening sky — its best showing for a while; Saturn is at opposition on Sun 4 October — the closest and brightest it gets this year, up all night; the Orionids meteor shower peaks around 21 October; 4 close pairings of the Moon and planets. Everything below holds anywhere on Earth; for the exact times and directions from where you are, open tonight's sky.
Moon phases
| Phase | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 🌗 Last Quarter | Sat 3 October | 13:25 UTC |
| 🌑 New Moon | Sat 10 October | 15:50 UTC |
| 🌓 First Quarter | Sun 18 October | 16:13 UTC |
| 🌕 Full Moon | Mon 26 October | 04:12 UTC |
The darkest skies come in the week around new moon. Times are UTC — the date can differ by one where you are.
The planets
- ☿︎ Mercury — in Libra, magnitude 0: low in the west after sunset. Furthest from the Sun on Mon 12 October.
- ♀︎ Venus — in Virgo, magnitude −4.2: low in the west after sunset early in the month, then too close to the Sun to see.
- ♂︎ Mars — in Cancer, magnitude 1: in the morning sky before dawn.
- ♃︎ Jupiter — in Leo, magnitude −1.9: in the morning sky before dawn.
- ♄︎ Saturn — in Cetus, magnitude 0.3: up all night, at its best. At opposition on Sun 4 October.
- ♅︎ Uranus — in Taurus, magnitude 5.6: up for most of the night, best before dawn. Only from a properly dark sky.
- ♆︎ Neptune — in Pisces, magnitude 7.8: up from dusk for most of the night. Needs binoculars or a telescope.
Magnitude is brightness: the lower the number, the brighter. Anything below about 5.5 is visible to the naked eye from a dark site.
Close pairings
- Mon 5 October: the Moon passes Mars, 1.1° apart — about a finger's width at arm's length
- Tue 6 October: the Moon passes Jupiter, 0.2° apart — about a finger's width at arm's length
- Mon 12 October: the Moon passes Venus, 2.8° apart
- Mon 12 October: the Moon passes Mercury, 2° apart
Separations are as seen from Earth's centre; from your location the Moon can sit up to a degree away from that. The forecast page's calendar works it out for where you are.
Meteor showers
- Orionids — peak around 21 October, up to ~20 an hour under ideal skies, from Orion. The Moon is 76% lit that night, so only the brighter meteors will show.
See all of this year's showers on the meteor shower calendar.
Worked out with Astronomy Engine. Updated for each new month automatically.