October skies

September 21, 2026

Key points from this story:

• Moon at perigee on October 1
• Mars occultation on October 5
• Jupiter occulted on October 6
• Venus retrogrades after October 12
• Orionid meteors peak on October 21
• Zodiacal light visible starting October 8

The Moon is at perigee, closest to Earth, on October 1, and reaches last quarter on the 3rd. On the 5th, Mars is 1.2 degrees south of the Moon, which is an occultation in the high Arctic. That same day, the Moon is less than half a degree north of the Beehive Cluster (M44). Jupiter is occulted on the 6th for observers in southeastern Canada and most of the USA. For the rest of the northern viewers, it's a very close conjunction - 0.2 degrees separation. Of course, two outer planets so close together could make for good photo opportunities. Finding tiny Mars near giant Jupiter could be a challenge! Regulus is occulted on the 7th, but for North America it's a close conjunction of 0.6 degrees separation. New Moon is on the 10th, with Venus nearby the thin crescent Moon on the 11th. Mercury is 2 degrees north of the crescent Moon on the 12th. Look for the pair hugging the murky horizon in the evening twilight. Binoculars will be a great help locating them. By the 14th, Antares, the bright star in Scorpius, is 0.4 degrees north of the Moon; another occultation in the extreme south. The 16th sees the Moon at apogee of 404,643 km. On the 18th, the Moon is at first quarter, quite visible in the daytime sky. The Moon is full on the 25th, among the stars of the Pleiades on the 27th, reaching perigee once again on the 28th, and occulting Ceres, the large Minor Planet, on the 31st. It would be a fun exercise to watch with binoculars or a telescope as the Moon covers the tiny object, and about 30 minutes later pop into view on the opposite side of the Moon.

Mercury suffers from the late-autumn ecliptic hugging the horizon, which is a boon for the Southern Hemisphere - not so much for the north. Nevertheless, it passes north of Venus on the 6th and 2 degrees north of the Moon on the 12th.

Venus begins retrograding after the 12th, reaching inferior conjunction (in front of the Sun) on the 24th. Experienced observers have viewed the bright planet through telescopes, being very careful not to have the Sun in the eyepiece! That would be a real challenge!

Mars is in the constellation Cancer, the Crab, well placed for observing in the very early morning. At the beginning of the month, Mars and Jupiter are close together - see the Moon section above. The waning crescent Moon occults Mars on the 5th. On the 11th, the ruddy planet is among the stars of the Beehive Cluster.

Jupiter rises in the east just before sunrise, and it's joined by Mars hovering nearby. Jupiter is occulted by the Moon on the 6th.

Saturn rises in the east after sundown, so is present in the sky all through the night. Opposition is when the planet is in the south while the Sun is in the north, behind the Earth. This is the best time to view the Ringed Planet, so be sure to give it a try. The view through a telescope is astounding, with the planet and its rings starkly outlined against the black of space.

Uranus is also in the sky for most of the night, also reaching opposition on the 25th. It's a so-called "naked-eye object," but you have to know where to look, and from a dark location, away from city lights, to see the blue-green planet.

Neptune is another object in the sky all night, but requires a telescope to be seen. Look for the blue disk among the stars of Pisces, the Fish.

The zodiacal light is visible before eastern morning twilight for the middle two weeks of October, beginning on the 8th.

The Orionid meteors peak on October 21.

James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000, was National President for two terms, is now the Editor of the renowned Observer's Handbook, and Production Manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. The IAU named asteroid 1995 XC5 "(22421) Jamesedgar" in his honour and he is a Fellow of the RASC.