In this guide we'll reveal what you can see in the night sky tonight, and throughout the month.
Our guide is centred around what's visible from the UK, but all northern hemisphere observers should be able to use it, with the odd adjustment to stated times.
October 2026 astronomy highlights
- 4 October: Saturn reaches opposition
- 5 October: The Moon pays Mars a close visit at dawn
- 10-12 October: Mars crosses the Beehive Cluster
- 13 October: Asteroid Vesta reaches opposition
- 28 October: A Lunar occultation of the Pleiades
In our guide, we use Universal Time (UT) and British Summer Time (BST). UT is the standard time used by astronomers around the world. BST is one hour ahead of UT.
We also use RA (Right ascension)and dec. (declination).
These coordinates are the night sky’s equivalent of longitude and latitude, describing where an object is on the celestial ‘globe’.
For help with these, read our guide to celestial coordinates.
If you're south of the equator, find out what you can see in the Southern Hemisphere night sky tonight.
Family stargazing tip for October 2026
Saturn is a slow-moving planet that’s currently improving in visibility from the UK with every passing year.
If you have a telescope, this is an amazing world to show to youngsters, its rings being a particular highlight.
If you don’t have a telescope, contact your local astronomical society and see whether they have any open evenings where you can use one.
As Saturn is at opposition on 4 October, it’s going to be a highlight they’ll be glad to share.
This planet gave many experienced astronomers the ‘wow’ moment that first got them hooked on
the night sky.
Planets
Read our month-by-month guide to visible planets for the whole year
- Mercury: Everning planet, unlikely to be seen
- Venus: East-southeast in Virgo, morning planet by end of month. Best seen 31 October, 30 minutes before sunrise
- Mars: South-southeast in Leo. Morning planet, moving towards Jupiter. Best seen 31 October before dawn.
- Jupiter: South-southeast in Leo. Morning planet moving towards Mars. Best seen 31 October before dawn.
- Saturn: South in Cetus. Opposition on 4 October. Visible early evening til dawn.
- Uranus: South in Taurus, visible all night long. Best seen 31 October.
- Neptune: South in Pisces, best seen around midnight at the start of the month.
The planets
The planets come back in force this month. Saturn reaches opposition on 4 October, shining at mag. +0.1 in northwest Cetus.
A telescope view of Saturn reveals those amazing rings are now opening up to reveal their southern side following Saturn’s equinox last year.
Saturn at opposition is a big deal. The planet is presented at its brightest and largest when viewed through a telescope.
The rings can also undergo a transformation due to the ‘opposition effect’ causing them to brighten during opposition.
This is due to shadows within the ring system becoming hidden from view, leaving the brighter faces of the individual ring ‘particles’ directed towards the Sun and us.
Minor planet 2 Pallas reaches opposition on 4 October, positioned in Cetus as well.
Its magnitude increases slightly at opposition, but it is only visible as a star-like point.
Peak magnitude is +8.2, just visible through binoculars. Also a binocular target is minor planet 4 Vesta, in Cetus as well. It reaches opposition on 13 October.
Mars is slowly coming back into view. On 5 October, shining at mag. +1.1, it appears just 40-arcminutes south of the centre of a 31%-lit waning crescent Moon around 06:00 BST (05:00 UT).
The Moon also makes a close pass of Jupiter on 6 October, the mag. -1.7 planet appearing 30-arcminutes, or one apparent Moon diameter, north of the centre of a 19%-lit waning lunar crescent at 11:25 BST (10:25 UT) under daylight conditions.
This will be a good opportunity to spot Jupiter by day using optical aid. Be aware that the planet looks ghostly and faint under such conditions.
When Jupiter reaches equinox on 16 December 2026, it is a special time for the planet’s moons.
In the months around Jovian equinox, as well as appearing to interact with Jupiter’s globe, the four main satellites also appear to interact with one another, undergoing what are known as mutual events.
Meteor shower
A bright gibbous Moon interferes with the early part of this year’s Orionid meteor shower peak on the night of 21/22 October.
However, the Moon sets just after 02:00 BST (01:00 UT), leaving the rest of the night dark enough for meteor hunting.
This is also when the Orionid radiant gains height which is better for rates. The Orionid radiant is located near Betelgeuse (Alpha (α) Orionis).
Orion can be seen gaining height in the early hours of October, located due south at 05:00 BST (04:00 UT) mid-month.
The constellation is a good signpost, the belt stars pointing northwest towards orange Aldebaran (Alpha (α) Tauri), the Hyades and Pleiades open clusters.
Extend Orion’s belt southeast to locate bright Sirius (Alpha (α) Canis Majoris).
Earlier in the night, the Great Square of Pegasus is a superb signpost. Follow the western edge south to locate Fomalhaut (Alpha (α) Piscis Austrini).
The eastern edge points south to Diphda (Beta (β) Ceti), the brightest star in Cetus, the constellation currently playing host to all those Solar System bodies reaching opposition.
Night sky in October 2026, night-by-night
Thursday 1 October
As we approach the opposition of Saturn on 4 October, this is a good time to start tracking the planet’s rings. They’ll appear to brighten due to a phenomenon known as the opposition effect.
Sunday 4 October
Saturn – currently in Cetus – reaches opposition today, the time when the planet’s rings will be at their brightest.
Minor planet 2 Pallas is at opposition in Cetus, shining at mag. +8.2.
Monday 5 October
Shining at mag. +1.1, Mars appears 40 arcminutes south of a 31%-lit waning crescent Moon at 06:08 BST (05:08 UT) this morning.
Tuesday 6 October
A chance to see Jupiter in broad daylight at 11:24 BST (10:24 UT) today, when the mag. –1.7 planet sits 30 arcminutes north of the 19%-lit waning crescent Moon.
Wednesday 7 October
Lunar night is creeping up on the Moon's 22km crater Flamsteed, this morning. This is a great time to look for some of the otherwise subtle relief features in the region as the low Sun angle will really emphasise them.
Friday 9 October
Take a deep-sky tour of objects near W-shaped Cassiopeia. With the Moon nicely out of the way, this is a good time to explore the region with a telescope.
Saturday 10 October
This morning, Mars begins its three-day passage in front of the Beehive Cluster, M44. The mag. +1.0 planet will pass right across the middle of the cluster.
Monday 12 October
Mercury reaches a greatest eastern elongation of 25.2°. Theoretically visible in the evening sky, the planet is very poorly positioned at sunset and unlikely to be seen.
Tuesday 13 October
Vesta reaches its opposition today, shining at mag. +6.5 in the constellation of Cetus.
Monday 19 October
Plato’s Hook, the name given to a reportedly curved rim-peak shadow that falls on the floor of the lunar crater Plato, may be seen this afternoon. View it from around 17:00 BST (16:00 UT).
Tuesday 20 October
The large and obvious clair-obscur effect on the Moon known as the Jewelled Handle can be seen this evening, when the light of the lunar dawn hits the peaks of the curved Montes Jura mountain range.
Wednesday 21 October
The annual Orionid meteor shower peaks this evening. A bright, waxing gibbous Moon interferes, but sets early enough to give you a 4.5-hour viewing window on the morning of 21 October and three hours to see it before dawn on 22 October.
Saturday 24 October
Venus reaches inferior conjunction, passing 6.5° south of the Sun as it transitions from the evening to the morning sky.
Sunday 25 October
Daylight savings time comes to an end at 02:00 BST today, when clocks go back one hour to match 01:00 UT.
Monday 26 October
The Moon is full at 04:12 UT, 2.5 days before reaching perigee on 28 October at 18:02 UT, making it a perigee full Moon – that is, slightly brighter and with a larger apparent diameter than an average full Moon.
Wednesday 28 October
Early this morning, a 95%-lit Moon moves across the northern portion of the Pleiades open cluster, occulting several of the named stars as it goes. View from 23:45 UT on the night of 27 October until around 02:30 UT.
Saturday 31 October
Don’t miss the start of the spectacular alignment happening between Mars, Jupiter and Regulus (Alpha (α) Leonis) which is under way at the end of October.
FAQs
What time is best for stargazing tonight?
It might sound obvious, but the best time for stargazing is when it's properly dark! That means when the Sun has truly set and the sky is at its darkest.
Having said that, not all objects visible in the sky tonight will be visible for the whole night. You might want to observe a planet that's visible at the moment, only to find it sets shortly after the Sun.
Or you might be looking for the Moon at a time when it's below the horizon.
A good stargazing app will help you decide what you want to observe in the night sky tonight, where and when to look.
Do I need a telescope?
You don't need a telescope to get a good view of the night sky, and this is especially the case for beginners. If you have a clear night and a dark sky free from light pollution, there's a lot you can see.
Bright stars and constellations, bright planets, meteor showers and even distant star clusters can be seen with the naked eye.
Binoculars will get you a closer look at these objects, and you'd be surprised at what even a modest pair can do for your view of the night sky.
A telescope, however, takes things to the next level, giving you amazing detail on the surface of the Solar System planets and the Moon, and revealing objects that would be invisible to the naked eye.
What if it's cloudy tonight?
Keep an eye on the weather forecast; it may be due to clear later on in the evening. If you really are facing a night of clouds, however, there's not much you can do.
You could stay indoors instead and plan for future stargazing sessions. Take a look at the weather forecast for the coming week. Work out when you've got the best chance of having a clear sky and plan what you might want to observe in advance.
That way, when a clear night rolls around, you'll have a plan of action and will be able to get your stargazing underway much more quickly.
Share your observations and images with us, or send us your astronomy questions to contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
