NASA Highlights Orionid Meteor Shower and Saturn's Opposition for October Skywatching

NASA has released its monthly skywatching guide for October 2026, highlighting several astronomical events observers can look out for, according to the agency's 'What's Up' series.

Among the highlights, Saturn is set to reach opposition, a point in its orbit when the planet is positioned opposite the sun from Earth's perspective, making it appear at its brightest and largest in the night sky for the year. NASA also points to the Orionid meteor shower, an annual event associated with debris from Halley's Comet, as a key event for skywatchers during the month.

The guide additionally notes that the Moon will pass close to the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, a prominent and easily recognizable open star cluster visible to the naked eye in the night sky.

Viewing Tips

NASA's skywatching guides typically recommend viewing from locations with minimal light pollution and allowing eyes to adjust to darkness for optimal visibility of meteor showers and fainter celestial objects. The agency did not specify the exact dates within October for the Orionid shower's peak in the referenced excerpt, though the shower is historically associated with mid-to-late October activity.

NASA regularly publishes these monthly guides to help the public engage with naked-eye and binocular-visible astronomical events throughout the year.