What’s Up in October 2026?
October brings darker evenings back to the UK and some excellent opportunities for observing and beginner astrophotography.
Saturn takes centre stage at the beginning of the month when it reaches opposition, while Mars provides an attractive photographic opportunity as it passes through the Beehive Cluster. Later in October, the Orionid meteor shower returns and the Moon passes across part of the Pleiades.
Meanwhile, some of the familiar stars and constellations of the winter sky are beginning to make their return. Stay outside into the later evening and early morning and Orion, Taurus and their neighbouring constellations become increasingly prominent.
So wrap up warm, give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness and let’s see what is waiting for us this October.
4 October — Saturn at Opposition
Saturn reaches opposition on 4 October.
Opposition occurs when Earth lies approximately between the Sun and an outer planet. From our point of view, the planet appears opposite the Sun in the sky, rising around sunset and remaining visible for much of the night.
This makes opposition one of the best times to observe an outer planet.
Saturn shines brightly during October and even a modest beginner telescope should reveal its most famous feature — its magnificent ring system.
The rings are also beginning to present themselves at a more favourable angle again following their near edge-on appearance.
Do not expect the enormous, highly detailed Saturn seen in spacecraft photographs. Through a small telescope the planet will appear quite small. Nevertheless, the first time you clearly see those rings surrounding another world is something you are unlikely to forget.
For more about the planet and what you may be able to see through a telescope, read our Jupiter and Saturn: The Gas Giants feature.
5 October — Mars and the Crescent Moon
Early risers have an attractive pairing on the morning of 5 October when Mars appears close to the waning crescent Moon.
Mars is a morning planet during October and becomes increasingly well placed during the early hours.
You do not need a telescope simply to appreciate the conjunction. Find the crescent Moon and look for the reddish point of Mars nearby.
A pair of binoculars should make the pairing particularly attractive.
As always when observing close to dawn, remember that binoculars and telescopes must never be pointed anywhere near the Sun.
6 October — Jupiter and the Waning Moon
Jupiter is another prominent morning planet this month and can be found in Leo.
On 6 October the Moon passes close to Jupiter, providing another useful opportunity to identify the giant planet.
Jupiter is bright enough to be visible during daylight under favourable conditions, particularly when the nearby Moon helps you know where to look. However, daytime planetary observing requires considerable care.
Never sweep the daytime sky with binoculars or a telescope when the Sun is nearby.
Beginners are better advised to identify Jupiter before sunrise and follow its position as the sky brightens rather than searching blindly during daylight.
10–12 October — Mars Crosses the Beehive Cluster
This is one of the most attractive events of October — and an excellent opportunity for somebody beginning astrophotography.
Between 10 and 12 October, Mars passes through the Beehive Cluster, also known as Messier 44 or M44, in the constellation Cancer.
The Beehive is a beautiful open star cluster. Under reasonably dark skies it can sometimes be detected with the naked eye as a misty patch, but binoculars reveal a wonderful scattering of individual stars.
Adding the distinctly reddish colour of Mars should make this a particularly interesting sight.
And you do not necessarily need a telescope to photograph it.
📷 Beginner Astrophotography Challenge — Mars and the Beehive
If you have never tried photographing a planet among the stars before, have a go at this one.
Equipment: Camera and sturdy tripod
Lens: Around 100–200mm is a useful starting range
Aperture: Start around f/2.8–f/4 if your lens permits
ISO: Try ISO 800–1600
Exposure: Begin around 2–4 seconds on a fixed tripod
Focus: Manual focus carefully on a bright star
Filter: None required
Tracking mount: Helpful, but not essential for short exposures
These are starting settings rather than rules. Different cameras, lenses, levels of light pollution and sky conditions will require adjustments.
Take several photographs and examine them on the camera screen. If the stars are beginning to trail, shorten the exposure. If too few stars are visible, try increasing the ISO or opening the aperture.
The aim is not to produce a professional observatory image. It is to capture reddish Mars among the stars of M44 and learn something while doing it.
Around 21–22 October — The Orionid Meteor Shower
The annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its period of greatest activity around 21–22 October.
The Orionids are produced by debris left behind by one of the most famous comets of all — Halley’s Comet.
As Earth passes through the stream of material left along the comet’s orbit, tiny particles enter our atmosphere at very high speed and produce the streaks of light we call meteors.
You do not need a telescope.
In fact, a telescope is a disadvantage for meteor watching because its field of view is far too narrow.
Find somewhere with as little stray light as possible, allow your eyes time to adapt to the darkness and watch a broad area of sky.
A reclining garden chair, warm clothing and perhaps a flask of something hot are considerably more useful than expensive observing equipment.
Moonlight will interfere with part of the 2026 display, but after the Moon has set there should be a darker period before dawn when the brighter Orionids may be easier to see.
25 October — The Clocks Go Back
British Summer Time ends on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
At 2:00am BST the clocks go back one hour to 1:00am GMT.
For astronomers this is one of the more welcome clock changes of the year because darkness arrives earlier in the evening.
From this point until next spring, UK civil time once again matches Greenwich Mean Time, making astronomical times quoted in Universal Time easier to follow.
Night of 27/28 October — The Moon and the Pleiades
Late on 27 October and into the early hours of 28 October, the Moon passes across the northern part of the Pleiades star cluster, M45, occulting some of its stars as seen from suitable locations.
A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of a more distant object from our point of view on Earth.
The Pleiades — often called the Seven Sisters — is one of the easiest and most beautiful open star clusters in the night sky. It lies in Taurus and is easily visible to the naked eye.
This gives us our second beginner photographic challenge of the month.
📷 Beginner Astrophotography Challenge — Moon and the Pleiades
This is more difficult than photographing Mars and the Beehive because the Moon is enormously brighter than the surrounding Pleiades stars.
The challenge is to retain detail on the lunar surface without completely losing the surrounding star field.
Equipment: Camera and sturdy tripod
Lens: Medium or telephoto lens
Exposure mode: Manual
ISO: Start around ISO 100–400
Aperture: Start around f/8
Exposure: Start with a very short exposure and check the result
Focus: Manual focus on the Moon or a bright star
Filter: A variable ND filter may be useful if the Moon is particularly bright
The important thing is not to overexpose the Moon. Even an exposure approaching one second can be far too long for the bright lunar surface, depending on the camera, lens, ISO, lunar phase and filter being used.
Stopping the lens down towards f/8 gives you greater control, and a variable neutral-density filter such as an ND2–400 can help reduce the Moon’s brightness.
Take several photographs at different shutter speeds. You may find that a shorter exposure preserves the lunar surface while a slightly longer exposure shows more of the Pleiades.
There is no single perfect setting. Experiment and see what your own camera can record.
View ND2–400 Variable ND Filter on Amazon
The exact circumstances of a lunar occultation depend on where you are observing from, so check a current astronomy programme, app or local prediction for timings at your location.
📷 Send Us Your Photographs
If you try either of our October beginner astrophotography challenges, we would love to see how you get on.
Do not worry if the photograph is not perfect. This is not about producing a competition-winning image. It is about having a go, learning how your equipment works and improving each time you try.
If you send us an image, please include as much of the following information as you can:
- Your name or the name you would like used for the credit.
- Camera used.
- Lens or telescope.
- Focal length.
- Aperture.
- ISO.
- Exposure time.
- Any tracking equipment used.
- Your town or general observing area if you wish — never send your home address.
With your permission, selected photographs may be included in a future Exploring The Night Sky Astrophotography Gallery.
End of October — Mars, Jupiter and Regulus
As October draws to a close, another attractive arrangement begins to develop in the morning sky.
Mars, Jupiter and Regulus — the brightest star in Leo — form a useful grouping, with Jupiter lying roughly between Mars and Regulus towards the end of the month.
Watch the arrangement over several mornings and you can begin to see something important about the night sky: the planets slowly change position against the apparently fixed background stars.
The arrangement continues developing into November, so it is worth returning to it rather than observing on only one morning.
The Planets in October
Saturn is October’s headline planet, reaching opposition on 4 October and remaining well placed for observation.
Jupiter is a morning object in Leo and becomes increasingly prominent as the month progresses.
Mars is also a morning planet and provides one of October’s highlights when it passes through the Beehive Cluster.
Uranus is well placed in Taurus throughout the month, although binoculars or a telescope together with a suitable finder chart will make identification considerably easier.
Neptune, following its September opposition, remains observable in Pisces but requires optical aid to identify confidently.
The Winter Sky Is Returning
October is also the month when the familiar winter sky begins to make its presence properly felt.
Stay outside late enough and Orion becomes increasingly prominent. Nearby lies Taurus, containing orange-red Aldebaran and two of the finest naked-eye and binocular star clusters in the sky: the Hyades and Pleiades.
Move towards Perseus and you can hunt for the magnificent Double Cluster — NGC 869 and NGC 884.
A pair of binoculars is enough to begin exploring this region.
This is one of the pleasures of autumn astronomy. Each week the familiar winter constellations rise a little earlier, gradually taking over the evening sky.
Make October Your Observing Month
There is plenty happening this October, but do not feel that you have to see everything.
Choose one or two targets.
Have your first proper look at Saturn.
Try photographing Mars among the stars of the Beehive.
Watch for an Orionid meteor.
Photograph the Moon and Pleiades.
Or simply take a pair of binoculars outside and begin learning the autumn sky.
Astronomy is not about ticking everything off a list.
It is about going outside, looking up and discovering a little more of the night sky each time you do it.
Clear skies.
Sources and Further Information
The astronomical dates and observing information in this article were checked against published information from:
- BBC Sky at Night Magazine — October 2026 Sky Guide and planetary observing information.
- American Meteor Society — 2026 Orionid meteor shower calendar and observing conditions.
- GOV.UK — official UK clock-change dates for 2026.
The suggested beginner photography settings are practical starting points and may need adjustment for different cameras, lenses, sky conditions and levels of light pollution. Photography guidance is based in part on the editor’s own astrophotography experience.