Disappearing Planets, Dragon Fireballs, Hunter’s Moon Fill October’s Spooky Skies

Disappearing Planets, Dragon Fireballs, Hunter's Moon Fill October's Spooky Skies

From disappearing planets to dragon-born fireballs, the October skies will play a few tricks this month, but they'll be nothing but treats for skywatchers. As the daylight wanes and the evenings grow longer, October is one of the best months to step outside, look up, and enjoy the crisp and clear night skies that feel especially made for spooky season. To help you make the most of it, NASA has rounded up some of the best of these cosmic events.

Lunar occultation of Jupiter

Occultations occur when a larger nearby object - like our Moon - passes in front of a smaller, more distant one, hiding it from view. While the word "occultation" might sound mystical, it simply means to conceal or hide. Early in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Moon will do exactly that to Jupiter. The bright star-like glow of the large planet will slip behind the Moon's thin crescent, vanish for about an hour, then reappear.

You can enjoy the event with just your eyes, although a set of binoculars will give you an even better view, possibly catching Jupiter's moons as they wink out and back in.
Most of North America will have a chance to observe this rare hide-and-seek moment. Exact times will vary by location, but the event will begin around 4 a.m. EDT.

Draconid meteor shower peak

The Draconid meteor shower will peak the evening of Thursday, Oct. 8, into the early morning of Friday, Oct. 9, beginning around 9 p.m. EDT. This is an ideal meteor shower for casual skywatchers, since it begins soon after darkness falls rather than in the early morning hours. A nearly new Moon phase means little interference from moonlight, making the shooting stars easier to spot.

Despite the shower's spooky name - which could be read as hinting at a certain infamous caped count - the Draconid shower is named for the constellation Draco, the dragon, where the shower's radiant is located. Find a dark spot, let your eyes adjust, and watch for meteors streaking from anywhere across the sky. A relatively modest shower, viewers may spot a few meteors per hour.

Orionid meteor shower peak

The Orionid meteor shower peaks on Oct. 21, and viewers may spot about 3-6 meteors per hour in suburban areas with some ambient light, while those in darker areas may see a few more. These meteors come from debris shed long ago by Halley's Comet, igniting in our atmosphere as Earth passes through the comet's trail. The shower is named after its radiant, near the constellation Orion, the hunter. Orion also contains the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, whose scarlet glow is easy to spot in the autumn sky (but don't say that name three times in a row!).

This year the Moon will be in a waxing gibbous phase, which may wash out some of the fainter streaks. But once it sets around 3 a.m. local time and the radiant climbs higher in the sky, a prime viewing window opens, giving skywatchers an excellent chance to catch the show before dawn.

Hunter's Moon

No spooky season would be complete without a bold October full Moon, and this one will appear on Monday, Oct. 26. Some traditions call this the Hunter's Moon, which takes its name from the seasonal practice of hunters relying on bright moonlight to track game as autumn fields grew bare and daylight faded. Leading up to Halloween, the Moon will still be shining, but as a waning gibbous, adding a gentle glow to the late-October nights.

More spooky stargazing:

October's Night Sky Notes: Spooky Stargazing - NASA Science

What's Up: October 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

More from Watch the Skies