FIG. 3 · FIELD-RESEARCH COMPANION · 2026-10-04 # THE OCTOBER SKY 2026 OBSERVING BOARD saturn at opposition tonight · moon meets mars, occults jupiter · draconids and orionids · the hunter's moon ebungo · a dark-blueprint reading of [field digest — October 2026 night sky](/field-digest-october-sky-2026-10-04.html). every date and figure cites its ledger id; sources at the foot. check your local horizon — this board is a cue card, not a forecast. A · tonight **— saturn at opposition ** 0.3 mag brightest of the year 19.7 " disk across, telescopic -7.5 ° ring tilt, reopening Saturn reaches opposition today, October 4, 2026, visible for much of the night because Earth flies between the sun and Saturn.[1] EarthSky dates the exact moment at 12 UTC on October 4 ,[2] when it will reach magnitude 0.3 — its brightest and closest for the year.[2] Saturn stands in front of Cetus the Whale at the 2026 opposition , and its disk appears 19.7 arcseconds across at largest.[2] The rings are opening again after the March 2025 ring-plane crossing — tilted by -7.5 degrees south, relative to earthly viewers .[2] B · month strip **— where the sky moves ** OCT 4 Saturn opposition ← tonight OCT 5-6 Moon meets Mars, occults Jupiter OCT 8-9 Draconids peak OCT 10 New Moon OCT 18 First quarter OCT 21-22 Orionids peak OCT 26 Hunter's Full Moon OCT 27-28 Moon at the Pleiades the digest carries the full calendar and the reasons — this strip is the one-line version, each node cited below in its own cell. C · week ahead **— moon meets mars, then jupiter ** On October 5 the waning Moon passes 1.2° north of Mars at 2 A.M. EDT , the pair sharing Cancer as the Moon crosses the Beehive cluster.[3] The next morning, October 6, the Moon occults Jupiter for observers in parts of Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Cuba — a relatively rare event, occurring on average only once every 13 years .[3] NASA frames it simply: a thin crescent Moon appears close to bright Jupiter before sunrise .[1] D · the decagon **— hubble's south-pole wave ** Fresh this week: NASA notes that Hubble observations last month revealed a ten-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole, alongside the long-known hexagon -shaped jet stream at the north pole.[1] The planet's poles now disagree on geometry — one side carries six sides, the other ten.[1] E · draconids **— oct 8-9, moon nearly dark ** The Draconids peak on the night between October 8 and 9, dust debris left by comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner .[5] Conditions are nearly perfect: the shower peaks when the Moon is only about 1 percent full , so moonlight will not interfere.[6] Rates are modest — about 6 meteors per hour under dark skies, best seen in the evening.[6] The history argues for looking anyway: the Draconids made some of the most spectacular meteor showers in recorded history, most recently in 2011 .[5] F · orionids **— oct 21-22, halley's dust ** The Orionids peak on the night of October 21 into the 22nd; the debris originates from comet 1P/Halley .[9] In a normal year they produce 10-20 shower members at maximum ,[4] but this year the Moon will be 76 percent illuminated on peak night, washing out the fainter meteors.[4] Best chance: a few hours before dawn after moonset, viewing 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant where meteors look longer.[9] Halley itself returns in 2061.[9] G · the moon's month **— a hunter's moon on the 26th ** OCT 10 New Moon[3] OCT 18 First quarter[3] OCT 26 Full Hunter's Moon at 12:12 a.m. EDT[3] OCT 27-28 Moon passes the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters[1] The Pleiades appear as a slightly fuzzy grouping of 6 to 7 stars , visible to the unaided eye with binoculars revealing more detail.[1] H · eclipses **— none this month, all four done ** October has no eclipse — 2026's four are all behind us: February 17 annular solar , March 3 total lunar , August 12 total solar , August 28 partial lunar .[7] The board's eclipse lane is empty until 2027.[7] I · comets **— a quiet autumn, one close pass ** Bright comets are thin this season, but 161P/Hartley-IRAS made its nearest approach to Earth on October 2 at magnitude 11.2 and 0.503 AU — a small-telescope target — on its way to perihelion on November 27.[8] The heads-up is a date, not a spectacle: bring a telescope if you want it.[8] One month, one shorthand: opposition tonight, two meteor peaks, one occultation, and a Hunter's Moon at the end. The sky's October board is set — look up when the dates land. FIG. 3 · **THE OCTOBER SKY 2026 OBSERVING BOARD ** SHEET: **INFOGRAPHIC ** DRAWN: **2026-10-04 ** SCALE: **NTS ** ## Sources [1] [NASA What's Up: October 2026 Skywatching Tips](https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/whats-up-october-2026-skywatching-tips-from-nasa)"close to the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. - Oct. 4: Saturn reaches opposition, making the ringed planet visible for much of the night - Oct. 6: A thin cr" "n's north pole. But just last month, observations using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope revealed a ten-sided atmospheric wave encircling the planet's south pole. This southern hemispher" "atmospheric pattern develop. The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of October 21st into the morning of October 22nd. The Orionids are created by tiny pieces of debris left behind by Halley's Comet. They appear to radiate from the direction of Orion, but the meteors can streak across any part of the sky. A" "djust and look up. On the night of October 27th into the 28th, look for the Moon passing close to a famous star cluster called the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Many ancient cultures had stories associated" "ight sky. The Pleiades appear as a slightly fuzzy grouping of 6 to 7 stars. They are visible to the unaided eye, but binoculars or a telescope reveal more spectacula" [2] [EarthSky — Saturn at opposition October 4](https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/saturn-at-opposition-closest-brightest-best)"We fly between the sun and Saturn at around 7 a.m. CDT (12 UTC) on October 4." "Earth flies between the sun and Saturn on October 4, 2026. Our motion brings Saturn to its brightest and closest for the year." "At this 2026 opposition, it’ll reach magnitude 0.3." "Saturn will be in front of Cetus the Whale at the 2026 opposition." "In October 2026, Saturn’s rings are tilted by -7.5 degrees south, relative to earthly viewers." "At its largest, Saturn will appear through telescopes as 19.7 arcseconds across." [3] [Astronomy.com — 2026 Full Moon calendar](https://www.astronomy.com/observing/full-moon-calendar-dates-times-types)"The next Full Moon will be the October Hunter’s Moon, which occurs at 12:12 a.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. We’ll update this article multiple times ea" "The Moon passes 0.2° north of Jupiter at 6 A.M. EDT. But before that, our satellite occults the planet for observers in parts of Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba. This is a relatively rare event, occurring o" "This is a relatively rare event, occurring on average only once every 13 years, so it’s definitely not one to be missed! As Jupiter rises in the eastern half" "The Moon passes 1.2° north of Mars at 2 A.M. EDT. The pair shares Cancer early this morning, rising around 1:15 A.M. local daylight time and remaining visible until sunrise. Mars is now ma" [4] [American Meteor Society — Meteor Shower Calendar 2026-2027](https://www.amsmeteors.org/calendar)"The Orionids are a medium-strength shower that sometimes reaches high-strength activity. In a normal year, the Orionids produce 10-20 shower members at maximum. In exceptional years, such as 2006-2009, peak r" "In a normal year, the Orionids produce 10-20 shower members at maximum. In exceptional years, such as 2006-2009, peak rates were co" "The Moon will be 76% illuminated · Waxing gibbous on peak night (Oct 21-22, 2026). Expect significant interference while the Moon is above the horizon, though brighter met" [5] [timeanddate — Draconids Meteor Shower 2026](https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/draconid.html)"In 2026, the Draconids will peak on the night between Oct 8-9 ## October Meteor Shower The Draconid meteor shower, also" "are created when the Earth passes through the dust debris left by comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The comet takes about 6.6 years to make a single revolution" "most spectacular meteor showers in recorded history, most recently in 2011, most astronomers and sky gazers consider it to be one of the less interesting meteor showers. ## How to See the Draconids You" [6] [Old Farmer's Almanac — Meteor Shower Calendar 2026](https://www.almanac.com/content/meteor-shower-calendar)"The Draconids aren't one of the bigger shows of the year, but they do mark the start of a busy season of meteor showers. After the Draconids, a show" "In 2026, the shower will peak when the Moon is only about 1 percent full, so moonlight will not present any interference. The best viewing will be in the evening from a dark location" "In 2026, the Orionids will be difficult to view. The waxing gibbous Moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors. - Shower Name: Orionid - Best" [7] [NASA GSFC — Eclipses During 2026](https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2026.html)"In 2026, there are two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses as follows. All times and dates on this page are i" "Annular Solar Eclipse of February 17 # Total" "Partial Lunar Eclipse of August 28" [8] [astro.vanbuitenen.nl — 161P/Hartley-IRAS ephemeris](https://astro.vanbuitenen.nl/comet/161)"Nearest approach | 2 Oct 2026 | 11.2 | 1.482 AU | 0.503 AU | 23h14m | -05°27' | 159.0° | 14.0° | 66° | | Perihelion | 27 Nov 202" "Perihelion | 27 Nov 2026 | 12.0 | 1.265 AU | 1.403 AU | 19h17m | +19°15' | 61.0° | 43.0° | 51° | The interactive orbit cha" [9] [NASA Science — Orionids](https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/orionids)"The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Orionids originate from comet 1P/Halley. Each time that Halley returns to the inner solar system its nucleus sheds ice and rocky d" "Comet Halley will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061. The comet is named for Edmond Halley, who discovered in 17" "The Orionids are viewable in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres during the hours after midnight. Find an area well away from the city or street lights. Come" board drawn from the [october sky digest](/field-digest-october-sky-2026-10-04.html) · ledger /tmp/skyoct · every [n] above is the same ledger id the digest cites · plain-text twin at [art-october-sky-2026-10-04.md](/art-october-sky-2026-10-04.md) --- Source: