Saturn at opposition on 4 October: brightest of the year
Saturn lines up with Earth and the Sun on 4 October 2026 and shines at its brightest of the year, about magnitude +0.3, rising at sunset and standing high in the south…
Moon and Mars 5 October 2026: see them together at dawn
On the morning of 5 October 2026 a thin waning crescent Moon sits right next to orange Mars in the east, closing from about 2.2° to 1.0° before sunrise. Binoculars add…
Draconid meteor shower 2026: best on the evening of 8 October
The Draconids peak on 9 October 2026 around 01:00 UTC, but the radiant is highest in the evening, so start looking after dark on 8 October. With a new Moon on 10 October…
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation, 12 October 2026
On 12 October 2026 Mercury sits 25.2° east of the Sun in Libra, shining at about magnitude −0.1. We are honest with you: it hangs very low in the north, so you will want…
Orionid meteor shower 2026: peak 21 October, watch after moonset
The Orionids, dust from Halley’s Comet, peak on 21 October 2026 with about 10–20 fast meteors per hour. A bright Moon sets around 02:45 in Vienna and 03:00 in Istanbul…
Hunter's Moon 2026: when to see the 26 October full Moon
The Hunter's Moon 2026 turns full on Monday 26 October at 04:12 UTC. The best show is the moonrise on the evenings of 25 and 26 October, low in the east-northeast around…
The community’s sky: latest photos
In the sky this week
All →- 4Saturn at opposition on 4 October: brightest of the yearPlanet watching · Saturn at opposition 2026🔔
- 5Moon and Mars 5 October 2026: see them together at dawnSky tonight · Moon and Mars, 5 October 2026🔔
- 8Draconid meteor shower 2026: best on the evening of 8 OctoberMeteor showers · Draconids 2026🔔
- 12Mercury at greatest eastern elongation, 12 October 2026Planet watching · Mercury at greatest eastern elongation, 12 October 2026🔔
- 21Orionid meteor shower 2026: peak 21 October, watch after moonsetMeteor shower · Orionids 2026🔔
- 26Hunter's Moon 2026: when to see the 26 October full MoonMoon watching · Hunter's Moon 2026🔔
Over …
Tap anything on the map to see what it is
3 near-Earth asteroids pass within 40 lunar distances in the next seven days; the closest is 2015 TS238 at 4.7 lunar distances (1,806,680 km) on October 8, 2026. Geomagnetic activity is at storm level (Kp 5.0) and the solar wind is blowing at 279 km/s. Next orbital launch: SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A on Falcon 9 Block 5 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, October 5, 2026 at 8:17 AM UTC.
A live map of what is above you: Sun, Moon, planets and constellations. Drag the slider to move through the next 24 hours.
Stars: Yale Bright Star Catalog (public domain). Constellation lines and boundaries: IAU constellation data and Davenhall & Leggett (1989), assembled by d3-celestial (code: BSD-3, © Olaf Frohn). Sun, Moon and planets: Astronomy Engine (MIT).
At a glance
Right now in space
These are live space readings. You don’t need to know any of them; if you’re curious, here is what they mean.
- ISS position
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- Geomagnetic Kp
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- Solar wind
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- Next launch in
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- ISS position: where on Earth the space station is right now (latitude and longitude).
- Geomagnetic Kp: how stormy Earth’s magnetic field is. A low number is calm; high numbers can push auroras far south.
- Solar wind: the speed of charged particles streaming from the Sun. When it speeds up, space weather gets lively.
- Next launch: the time left until the next rocket lifts off from Earth.
Caught around the world
Photographs players shared from the game and from this sky view, each recomputed for the sky where it was taken. Teal cards are not players: they show what is really up over a city right now.
Which constellations are visible tonight?
Tonight, October 4, 2026, these constellations are above the horizon from New York at around 21:00 local time: Cygnus (north-west, 79° high), Cassiopeia (north-east, 60° high), Pegasus (south-east, 60° high), Lyra (west, 59° high), Cepheus (north, 58° high), Andromeda (east, 56° high), Delphinus (south, 55° high), Draco (north-west, 55° high), Aquila (south-west, 51° high) and Hercules (west, 42° high). The sky map on this page draws the same view for wherever you are. Positions worked out by Astrometrik from the IAU constellation boundaries, refreshed every hour.
Where are the planets tonight?
Planets above the horizon from New York at around 21:00 local time tonight: Saturn (east, 26° high). Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter stay below the horizon at that hour.
News and bulletins
- Astrometrik Bulletin · Issue 1 · October 1, 2026October 1, 2026
A new issue every Thursday, in eight languages.