This year’s October night sky brings the Hunter’s Moon, the closest (and therefore the largest) supermoon of 2024. Plus, a bright comet that may be visible during the day! Here’s everything you need to know about sky events this month, including bright stars, Venus kissing the Moon, and a “Trick or Treat” triple threat you won’t want to miss!
Farmers’ Almanac astronomical reports have been in continuous publication since 1818. Leave a comment at the end of this article if you would like anything explained more!
Visible Planets In The October Night Sky
Slowly but surely, Venus is making itself evident in the evening sky. It is still quite low near the southwest horizon shortly after sunset, but as the month progresses it climbs a little higher and sets a little later. However, you still need to look for Venus just after sunset because even by month’s end it’s still setting only about 45 minutes after sundown.
Saturn is in the best position to view, already well up in the southeast sky at dusk and is visible for most of the night.
Jupiter is far brighter than Saturn, but you’ll have to be patient to see the largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter rises in the east-northeast after 10pm this month.
Your best views of Jupiter will come between midnight and dawn as it ascends the south-southeast sky against the backdrop of the stars of Taurus the Bull. Pumpkin-hued Mars follows Jupiter, trailing it by a few hours, rising around midnight in the eastern sky.
This is an exciting time to track Mars. As Earth continues to get closer to Mars, the planet will slowly brighten. In October, we can categorize it as a “bright” starlike object. In November it will rise earlier in the night and be significantly brighter. And by December Mars will be brilliant and stand out as one of the brightest objects in the night sky.
Finally, there is little Mercury, which by month’s end is positioned very low near the west-southwest horizon right after Sunset. However, Mercury will still appear very close to the Sun and very low in the sky at sunset so spotting Mercury will be challenge if not impossible depending on your sky conditions and view to the southwestern horizon.
Read more about the visible planets.
October Night Sky Guide 2024
All times and positions are listed in Eastern time, 40 degrees north of the equator—unless otherwise specified. If you see the terms sunset, midnight, sunrise or local time, this is true no matter where you are located (no need to add or subtract for your time zone).
Look for the telescope emoji – 🔭 – which means that we recommend binoculars or telescopes. Psst … Find fun astronomy gear and more in our Starry Nights Gift Guide.
October 2 – New Moon
The New Moon occurs at 2:49 p.m. EDT.
Also today, an annular solar eclipse will take place. This is often nicknamed the “Ring of Fire Eclipse” where the Moon is too distant from the Earth to cover the Sun completely. If you’re in the right place at the right time you will see a ring of sunlight shining around the Moon’s silhouette.
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The path of the eclipse will not cross the United States. The best views of annularity are mainly in the middle of the south Pacific Ocean and parts of Chile and Argentina. The last annular solar eclipse was on October 14, 2023, and passed through parts of the southwestern United States.
Learn more about this eclipse.
October 5 – Moon Kisses Venus
30 minutes after Sunset, look low toward the southwest horizon for a view of dazzling Venus situated 4° to the upper right of a slender crescent Moon. For an extra treat, aim a small telescope at Venus and you will see a double star above it a most uniquely fun name: Zubenelgenubi.
October 10 – First Quarter Moon
The first quarter Moon occurs at 2:55 p.m. EDT.
October 12 – Rare Sky Event: Daytime Comet
A comet may become visible in the daytime sky beginning on October 12, 2024 (until October 22). Learn more about comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) in our article here, written by expert astronomer Kelly Kizer Whitt of EarthSky.org.
October 14 – Moon Kisses Saturn
At dusk, look about one-third up in the southeastern sky to see a waxing gibbous Moon. About four degrees to the Moon’s right will be the planet Saturn.
Saturn is by far the brightest starlike object in the constellation Aquarius and will shine with a steady yellow glow.
In a telescope Saturn’s rings appear more tilted than they were during the spring and summer. And Saturn never lacks close company: its largest Moon, Titan, can be seen nearby in a small telescope.
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⭐ October 17 – Full Hunter’s Moon
The Full Hunter’s Moon reaches peak illumination at 7:26 a.m. EDT.
On October 17, the Moon arrives at the closest point of its orbit, 221,938 miles from Earth, thus making this the largest full Moon of 2024 (now known colloquially as a Supermoon). It will be visible on both October 16 and 17, rising as the Sun sets. In addition, expect tides to run much higher-than-normal for the next few days.
Share your full Moon photos in the comments below!
October 19 — Moon and Jupiter
What is that bright star near the Moon? It’s the planet Jupiter! Keep your eyes to the skies tomorrow night to see them get even closer.
⭐ October 20-21 — Moon Kisses Jupiter
Look east from 9:30 p.m. local time until sunrise to see Jupiter hanging about five degrees to the lower right of the Moon. You may even catch a shooting star or two while you’re out there stargazing!
October 21 – Shooting Stars, The Moon, and Jupiter
A bright Moon, four days past its full phase, will interfere with observations of the Orionid Meteor Shower, which reaches maximum this morning. On a normal year, you might see up to 25 meteors per hour. But with the Moon in the way, chances of seeing a lot of shooting stars that night will be tough.
The meteors appear to dart from a radiant between the stars Betelgeuse in Orion and Alhena in Gemini, which are both high in the south-southeast at the break of dawn. The shower persists for several weeks, however, with a few Orionids appearing as early as October 9 and as late as November 7.
The Orionids travel in approximately the same orbit as Halley’s Comet and are thought to be bit of debris it has shed over the ages.
Any questions? Leave a comment below. Your questions will be answered by our expert astronomers.
While you’re waiting to catch sight of an Orionid meteor, you’ll no doubt notice that sitting 5½° to the lower right of the Moon will be brilliant Jupiter.
Well north of the celestial equator, it’s high enough for excellent telescopic observation by midnight and high in the south a few hours before dawn.
Jupiter is in the constellation Taurus the Bull, east of Aldebaran (Taurus’ brightest star) and the Hyades star cluster inside the Bull’s face. Jupiter halted its direct (eastward) motion relative to the stars on October 9th and begins to retrograde slowly back toward Aldebaran.
October 23 — Mars And The Moon
Mars and the Moon in Gemini. Just before sunrise, look high in the southern sky to find the third quarter Moon near three stars in a bent arc. The top two stars are Pollux and Castor of the constellation Gemini. The third star is actually the planet Mars. By the end of this month they will form a straight line (See October 30-31 below.)
October 24 – Mars And Last Quarter Moon
The last quarter Moon occurs at 4:03 a.m. EDT. Look east before sunrise to see Mars shining approximately six degrees to the Moon’s upper right.
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The “red planet” (which looks more orange than red) begins the month shining at magnitude +0.5 some 10 degrees from Pollux, which is a paler orange and shines only about half as bright at magnitude +1.2.
In telescopes, the Martian disk is tiny but growing. Can you see that Mars is slightly gibbous (not quite a full circle)? That’s due to the fact that Mars was at quadrature, 90 degrees west of the Sun, on October 14.
October 26 – Venus
Venus creeps a little higher as October progresses, making it easier to see above the western horizon just after sunset.. This evening Venus lies three degrees above of the ruddy star Antares, the heart of the constellation Scorpius. If you can’t spot Antares in the glare of sunset, try aiming binoculars just above Venus and you may spot it.
⭐ October 30-31 — Trick Or Treat Triple Threat
An isosceles triangle formed by Gemini (Castor and Pollux) and Mars at the beginning of October, gradually transitions into a nearly straight line on October 30.By this time, Mars will have brightened to magnitude +0.1, brighter than Rigel (in Orion), the seventh brightest star.
October 31 – Mercury
This evening this speedy little planet will be 18 degrees east of the Sun, but it’s so low in bright twilight that you’ll need binoculars to spot it, as it will set less than 45 minutes after Sundown as seen from latitude 40° north.
Conditions will have to be absolutely perfect to find Mercury. You’ll need crystal clear skies, a clear view to the western horizon, and no trees in your way. Then maybe, just maybe you might spy Mercury. But if you don’t, not to worry, Mercury zips around the solar system so fast, it’ll be visible again in the morning skies soon.
Join The Discussion
Which sky event are you looking forward to in the October night sky?
Do you have any questions or suggestions for our sky guide?
Share with your community here in the comments below!
Joe Rao
Joe Rao is an esteemed astronomer who writes for Space.com, Sky & Telescope, and Natural History Magazine. Mr. Rao is a regular contributor to the Farmers' Almanacand serves as an associate lecturer for the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.
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