Read our October sky notes to find out what’s in the night sky this month!
Map
Constellations
These constellations are well placed in the evening this month, but many more can be seen. Check the star map for more.
Pisces rises in the east at sunset and moves high across the southern sky to set in the west. It disappears low on the horizon as the sun rises. It rises a little later each day.
Cassiopeia is a circumpolar constellation, so is visible all night. It can be seen close to the zenith, and appears high in the east at sunrise. It then moves in a small circle towards the west over the course of the night. Each star of Cassiopeia is very bright, and it can be easily found by its distinctive ‘W’ shape.
Perseus appears in the north eastern sky at sunset. It moves higher as the night continues, before disappearing high in the western sky at sunrise. Perseus’ brightest star is Mirphak, which forms the centre of the constellation.
Planets
Mercury is too close to the Sun to bee seen this month. It will be at superior solar conjunction, where it passes the other side of the Sun, on the 20th.
Venus can be seen in the morning this month. Look for it above the south eastern horizon. It rises slightly later each day, but so does the Sun, so best views will be just before dawn and are unaffected by the time of month. Venus will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 10th. It will reach its highest altitude on the 18th, dichotomy (half phase) on the 22nd, and greatest elongation west on the 24th.
Mars is too close to the Sun to be seen this month. It will be at apogee, its furthest point from the Earth, on the 18th.
Jupiter is visible for most of the night, rising in the north east and moving across the southern sky to disappear in the west at sunrise. Best views will be later in the month, when Jupiter will rise earlier. It will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 2nd and the 29th.
Saturn can be seen in the southern sky this month. It traces a path from the south east to the south west, being visible all night. It will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 24th.
Uranus is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. It stays to the left of Jupiter throughout the month, moving from the north east to the west over the course of the night.
Neptune is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. It follows the same path as Saturn across the southern sky, following behind it.
Meteor Showers
The October Camelopardalids reach their peak on the 6th. The radiant (apparent origin point) of the meteors will be in the constellation of Draco. The radiant is circumpolar, so meteors will be visible all night. Best displays will be just before dawn as Draco reaches its highest point after sunrise. You will be able to see up to 5 meteors per hour.
The Draconids reach their peak on the 9th. The radiant (apparent origin point) of the meteors will be in the constellation of Draco. This is a circumpolar constellation so meteors will be visible all night. Draco reaches its highest point at around 17:00 BST, so best views will be just after dusk. You will be able to see up to 10 meteors per hour.
The Southern Taurids reach their peak on the 10th. The radiant (apparent origin point) of the meteors will be in the constellation of Cetus. Meteors will be visible after 19:07 BST, when the radiant rises above the horizon, until dawn. Best views will be when Cetus is at its highest point at around 02:00 BST. You will be able to see around 3 meteors per hour.
The δ-Aurigids reach their peak on the 11th. The radiant (apparent origin point) of the meteors will be in the constellation of Auriga. This is a circumpolar constellation so meteors will be visible all night. Best views will be at around 05:00 BST, when the radiant is at its highest in the sky. You will be able to see about 1 meteor per hour.
The ε-Geminids will reach their peak on the 19th. The radiant (apparent origin point) of the meteors will be in the constellation of Gemini. Meteors will be visible from 21:21 BST through to dawn, when the radiant is in the sky. Best views will be just before dawn, as Gemini reaches its highest point at 06:00 BST. You will be able to see about 2 meteors per hour.
The Orionids will reach their peak on the 22nd. The radiant (apparent origin point) of the meteors will be in the constellation of Orion. Meteors will be visible from 21:52 through to dawn, when the radiant is in the sky. Best views will be around 05:00 BST, when Orion is at its highest point. You will be able to see up to 12 meteors per hour.
The Leonis Minorids reach their peak on the 25th. The radiant (apparent origin point) of the meteors will be in the constellation of Leo Minor. Meteors will be visible between 20:32 BST and 22:40 BST, when Leo Minor is visible in the sky. Best views will be just before dawn, as the radiant reaches its highest point after sunrise. You will be able to see around 1 meteor per hour.
Moon
Last Quarter: 6th
New Moon: 14th
First Quarter: 22nd
Full Moon: 28th
The Moon reaches perigee, its closest point to the Earth, on the 26th. This effect is not visually apparent.
The Moon will be at perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on the 17th and aphelion, its furthest point, on the 26th. This effect is not visually apparent.
There will be a close approach of the Moon and the Pleiades (M45) on the 3rd. It will be visible soon after the Moon rises at 19:42 BST until sunrise. A telescope may be too narrow a field of view, so binoculars or naked eye viewing is recommended. This will occur again on the 30th, where it will be visible all night.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs on the 28th. The Moon will be in shadow between 20:36 BST and 21:53 BST, with maximum eclipse at 21:15 BST when 12% of the Moon’s disk will be in shadow.
Points of Interest
Asteroid 29 Amphitrite will be at opposition on the 2nd. It lies in the constellation of Pisces and will be visible between 20:44 BST and 04:52 BST, reaching its highest point around midnight.
The Andromeda galaxy is well placed on the 3rd, because it reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight. It will be visible all night in the constellation of Andromeda. This will require binoculars to see.
The Triangulum galaxy is well placed on the 16th. It will be visible all night to the right of the constellation of Triangulum and reaches it’s highest point at 01:02 BST. This will require binoculars to see.
The dwarf planet 136199 Eris is at opposition on the 18th. It will be visible between 21:37 BST and 04:32 BST in the constellation of Cetus. Eris reaches its highest point around midnight and is only visible with at least a four-inch telescope.
The Perseus Double Cluster is well placed on the 28th. It will be visible all night in the constellation of Perseus, reaching its highest point at 01:01 BST.
Visit Spot the Station to find out when the ISS will be visible from your location.
Last updated: 23rd August.