October Stargazing: A supermoon, new comet, and a whole lot of meteors
| October 6 | Full supermoon |
| October 8 | Draconid meteor shower Pic Prédit |
| October 14 | Jupiter visible near the moon crescent |
| October 21 | Shower with PĂ©x meteorid meteor predicted |
| October 21 | Comet c / 2025 A6 makes the closest approach to earth |
Stargazers will be happy to know that October will see the cosmos compensating for a few relatively lean months.
October 6: Here is the Harvest supermoon!
The full moon of October finds our nearest celestial companion at his perigee, that is to say the moment when he is closest to the earth. This means that the full moon of this month will be [drum roll] A supermoon! He will be larger, brighter and generally more imposing than usual, and according to the farmer’s Almanac, he will reveal his full glory at 11:47 p.m. HAE on October 6.
October 8: Draconid meteor shower predicts the peak
Fall is the meteor season, and early October will bring the first of the two spectacular celestials of the month: the draconid shower, sometimes called the Giacobinides. The shower should start on October 6, a peak on October 8 and end around October 10. Draconids are unusual in that their intensity can vary considerably from year to year. Most years, only a few meteors are visible, but sometimes this number increases considerably. The last truly spectacular draconid eruption took place in 1946, when several thousand meteors per hour illuminated the sky.
It is never quite clear when the next big draconid storm will take place, which means that this special meteor shower always constitutes a potentially exciting visualization. According to Earthsky.org, the radiant point – the point from which the shower comes – will be the highest in the sky just after dark on October 8. Look towards the Draco constellation, which is directly above the big ladle in the northern sky.
October 14: Jupiter visible near the moon
He’s a big boy! An absolute unit! But even thus, Jupiter is not always the easiest planet to observe. This month, however, our boy does not feel shy. Jupiter will be visible all month and will not gradually become more brilliant throughout October. According to the Adler planetarium, perhaps the best night to see the largest planet in the solar system will be on October 14, when Jupiter is visible to the right of the Moon Crescent just before midnight.
October 21: the comet C / 2025 A6 (Lemmon) passes near the earth
It’s been a while since we have had a decent comet observation, but this month brings the arrival of the C / 2025 A6 comet, otherwise known as the Comète Lemmon. Lemmon is a whole new discovery. It was observed for the first time in January of this year, and its relative novelty means that there are still a lot of things that we do not know about it, including exactly how brilliant it is when it is closest to the earth on October 21. As Earthsky.org explains, the comet has regularly become brighter during the last period, but this trend, or if it is only this trend, or if it takes place, or if it is a temporary period.
If Lemmon continues to increase the brightness, it may well be visible to the naked eye on the night of October 21, but if not, a small telescope should let you see it quite easily. Anyway, it will appear low in the northwest sky, near the Star Arcturus. And be notified, it will be your one and only chance to take a look. Once he has gathered the earth and careers to the external solar system, Lemmon will not return for 1,396 years.
October 21: the shower of meteor orionid pex predicted
October 21 promises to be a particularly good night to spend in the company of a telescope, because it is also the planned peak of the Orionids. While the Draconids are finished in a few days, the Orionids will be visible for a while. The shower started at the end of September and will last until the end of November. Their peak is scheduled for the early hours of October 21, just after midnight. The radiating point will be the highest in the sky around 2 am, just to the left of the Orion constellation in the southwest sky.
Also, a fun fact on the Orionids: they come from the comet of Halley. The most famous comet of all is currently far towards its aphelion (the moment when it is most distant from the sun), and will not return to the inner solar system than in 2061.
More offers, reviews and purchasing guides
