The Starry Sky in October 2026
In October, the Sun crossed the celestial equator toward the south, so the nights are once again longer than the days. Early in the evening, the sky still looks like summer, as is clearly evident from the Summer Triangle, with Vega in the Lyre, Deneb in the Swan and Atair in the Eagle can be seen. Later in the evening—the star chart is for 11:00 p.m. daylight saving time—the large „Autumn Square“ is high in the sky. Three of its stars belong to the constellation Pegasus, while the upper-left corner faces the string of lights from the Andromeda. Below Pegasus and Andromeda lie the zodiac constellations Capricorn, Aquarius and Fish. However, all three constellations consist of faint stars, so you need a fairly dark viewing location to spot them in the sky. The only bright star in this area is Diphda in the constellation Whale ... Very close to the horizon, you can also see the bright star Fomalhaut in the the southern part of the constellation Pisces see them sparkle. Saturn in the constellation Cetus will soon cross the meridian; it is Neptune ahead. In the east, Uranus located between the open star clusters Hyades and Pleiades.
The Moon Phases in October 2026
The Planets in October 2026
Mercury It will reach its greatest eastern elongation on October 12. However, due to its southern position, it will not be visible from Central Europe.
Venus On the morning of October 24, Venus reaches its inferior conjunction with the Sun. At that time, Venus will be about 6.3 degrees south of the Sun. This provides experts with an opportunity to photograph a very narrow crescent of Venus (visual observation is not recommended due to its proximity to the Sun).
Mars will remain in Cancer until October 30. On October 11–12, Mars will be in the star cluster M 44 (Praesepe). On October 5, the waning crescent Moon will be near Mars.
Jupiter It is in the zodiac sign of Leo and rises sometime after midnight. One day after its conjunction with Mars, the waning Moon passes Jupiter on October 6.
Saturn will reach opposition on October 4. The ringed planet is located in the constellation Cetus, just south of Pisces. Its ring is significantly more open than it was last year.
Uranus In Taurus, it traces its path through the golden gate of the ecliptic between the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters. The greenish planet is currently at its highest point in the sky during the second half of the night.
Neptune It was in opposition in the constellation Pisces at the end of September and remains visible throughout the dark night.
Adapted from The Starry Sky in October 2026 – Association of Star Enthusiasts, Inc.