8 Night Sky Events to See in October, From Fiery Meteors to a Vanishing Star Cluster

This month brings two meteor showers, an eerie orange-tinted full moon, and one of the year’s last chances to glimpse the Milky Way’s luminous core.

Star trails form bright circles across the night sky above a desert landscape filled with Joshua trees, with several streaking meteors visible among the stars.
A long-exposure photograph captures stars appearing to streak across the night sky above Joshua Tree National Park in California.
ByStephanie Vermillion
Photographs bySean Parker
Published September 24, 2026

With streaking meteors and exceptional planet sightings, October provides plenty of reasons to stay up and stargaze. Two meteor showers punctuate the month: The Draconids peak beneath the dark skies of a nearly new moon, while the Orionids arrive later in October. Saturn also reaches opposition, when the planet appears at its biggest and brightest, creating an excellent opportunity to glimpse its famed rings.

Meteor showers—and, now that autumn has arrived, the northern lights—are best viewed beneath dark skies away from light pollution. But all is not lost for urban sky-watchers; some of the month’s top spectacles, including planet sightings, are visible through city lights. You just need to know when and where to look.

Saturn at opposition — October 4

Saturn will reach its closest point to Earth, known as its opposition, around 8 a.m. ET on Oct. 4. The days leading up to and following it are also a great time to spot the planet’s famed rings. To spy the planet, look to the south-southeast around 11 p.m.; the view improves for the next few hours as Saturn climbs higher in the sky.

(How to photograph the stars using your phone.)

You’ll need at least a small backyard telescope or high-powered binoculars to see the dense loops of ice and rock. Saturn’s rings stretch about 170,000 miles, and their icy composition makes them highly reflective.

Moon meets Mars — October 5

A close-up view of the full moon shows its craters and surface features in detail, with a small bright planet Mars visible against the dark background of space.
Mars appears beside the moon during a lunar occultation in 2023. On October 5, the red planet and a crescent moon will form another close pairing in the predawn sky.

Early risers will enjoy a lunar spectacle on October 5. The crescent moon and orange-hued Mars will meet in the predawn sky. Watch for the duo above the eastern horizon; later in the morning, Jupiter will appear diagonally below them, too. This is also a good chance to peek beyond our solar system. Immediately beneath the moon is the Beehive Cluster, which contains around 1,000 stars. About 600 light-years from Earth, the cluster appears as a smudge to the naked eye under dark skies. The view improves with even modest telescopes and binoculars.

Draconid meteor shower peaks — October 8-9

The Draconid meteor shower isn’t the most prolific event, but this year, its peak coincides with a thin, waning crescent moon. The lack of moonlight will help sky-watchers distinguish even the shower’s fainter streaks. Expect around 10 meteors per hour under dark skies away from light pollution. The Draconids will peak overnight from October 8-9, with the best view an hour or two after sunset. Keep an eye out for Saturn in the southern sky this night as well.

New moon for Milky Way core viewing — October 10

The Milky Way stretches across the night sky above a desert landscape filled with saguaro cacti, shrubs, and rocky hills.
The Milky Way glows above saguaro cacti in Saguaro National Park West, Arizona.

Autumn is one of the easiest times to see the Milky Way’s glittery galactic core. Unlike spring, when stargazers catch it in the early morning, our galaxy’s interior is visible as soon as nightfall descends. And don’t sleep on it.

(10 weird things you probably didn't know about the Milky Way.)

This is one of the last months to spot it from the U.S., as the core hides behind the sun from around November to February. New moon nights, like October 10, are the best time to watch and photograph that sparkling band—a collection of millions of stars and a supermassive black hole.

Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation — October 12

On the evening of October 12, gaze across the western horizon to spot Mercury in its greatest eastern elongation. That’s when it’s farthest from the sun. The swift planet is usually too close to our bright to admire fully; that’s why stargazers pine for elongation time. This month, Mercury at elongation is best enjoyed from the southern hemisphere, but those with clear views of the western horizon can admire it in the U.S., too. Keep an eye out for the nearby crescent moon. For safety, wait until after sunset to point any optical aids west.

Orionid meteor shower — October 21-22

The Orionid meteor shower shoots up to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies. This year, it will peak overnight from October 21 to 22; the best view hits in the predawn hours. The show appears to originate from the Orion constellation. The event is known for its bright, fast meteors, which can create vivid trains as they collide with Earth’s atmosphere. While this year’s Orionids peak coincides with a luminous waxing gibbous moon, the orb will set a few hours before dawn—the perfect time for spotting the shower at its most powerful. Make sure to watch away from light pollution, or better yet from a stargazing hotel.

Full hunter’s moon — October 26

A full moon rises above a rugged mountain range, illuminating sharp rocky peaks beneath dark clouds in the evening sky.
October’s full "hunter’s" moon sets over the mountains near Mammoth Lakes, California, in 2022.

October’s full moon, known as the hunter’s moon, was named for the season’s winter food preparations. The moon will reach peak luminosity just after midnight on October 26, although it’s best to admire it around moonrise and moonset. The lunar orb looks particularly dramatic as it rises above the eastern horizon around sunset and sets in the west around sunrise. It appears not only larger than normal, but it may have an eerie orange tint.

(Chasing the northern lights? Here’s what to expect from forecasts.)

Lunar occultation of Pleiades — October 27

A bright blue star cluster shines against a dark sky, with hundreds of stars surrounded by glowing clouds of blue dust.
The Pleiades, also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters, is a cluster of young stars about 444 light-years from Earth. On October 27, the moon will pass in front of several of its stars in an event known as a lunar occultation.

On the evening of October 27, the bright moon will transit alongside, and even temporarily cover, the pale-blue Pleiades star cluster. The occultation begins around 6 p.m. ET and ends just before midnight. Expect the closest approach—when the moon slides over some of the Pleiades’ stars—around 9:30 p.m. It’s visible across much of the world, including North America. The East Coast will see the full occultation, although stargazers across the continent can enjoy the close approach.

Stephanie Vermillion is a Cleveland-based journalist, photographer, and author who covers adventure, conservation, and the night sky for National Geographic and other publications. She is the author of 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark.