By Raquel Villanueva | Oct. 4, 2026
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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.
On Oct. 4, Saturn reaches opposition, giving skywatchers one of the year’s best opportunities to see the ringed planet. Opposition occurs when Earth passes between the Sun and Saturn, making Saturn visible for much of the night, rising around sunset.
Astronomers have long observed a hexagon-shaped jet stream at Saturn’s north pole. Recently, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed a ten-sided atmospheric wave at the planet’s south pole, which is strengthening and allowing scientists to study the development of this giant atmospheric pattern.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of October 21 into the morning of October 22. This shower is caused by debris from Halley’s Comet, with meteors radiating from the direction of Orion but capable of appearing anywhere in the sky. A bright waxing gibbous Moon will wash out fainter meteors, but your best viewing chance will be a few hours before dawn, after the Moon sets. Find a dark location, let your eyes adjust, and look up!
On the night of Oct. 27 into Oct. 28, the Moon will pass close to the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. Many ancient cultures have stories associated with this cluster, which is visible from nearly everywhere on Earth.
To spot the Pleiades, look east in the evening as the Moon and cluster rise higher into the night sky. They appear as a slightly fuzzy group of 6 to 7 stars, visible to the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope will reveal more detail.
Stay updated on NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at NASA Science.
Raquel Villanueva works for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
