NASA Skywatching Tips: What’s Up October 2026

Last Updated on October 7, 2026 by Cass County Communication Network

Solar System Ambassador Pam Roller

Here are some links shared by our local Solar System Ambassador Pam Roller

What’s Up: October 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech, Raquel Villanueva, science.nasa.gov/skywatching

Saturn takes center stage, a meteor shower lights up the sky, and the Moon visits 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

Halloween-like Images of Astronomy Picture Of Day

APOD: 2004 October 30 – Pumpkin Moon – NASA Science

Credit: professional astronomer Sebastien Gauthie

APOD: 2024 October 31 – Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula – NASA Science

Credit: Simone Curzi

APOD: 2024 October 27 – LDN 43: The Cosmic Bat Nebula – NASA Science

Credits: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby, Text by Michelle Thaller

APOD: 2025 October 29 – Dust Shapes of the Ghost Nebula – NASA Science

Credit: Kent Wood