October 2025 Calendar
At any moment of the day, countless awe-inspiring celestial events are unfolding in the sky. With a universe of options, it can be hard to pin down what to observe. The purpose of this calendar is to provide a peek into what's happening in the sky and in the world of astronomy in general and provide a quick list of highlights that can jumpstart your own explorations.
Lunar Pairings:
Once again, the Moon has a packed social calendar this month filled with planetary and deep sky meetups. One highlight that we have circled to catch is the Moon’s dance with Regulus on October 16th and 17th. Regulus, which is also known as “Little King,” is the brightest star in the Leo constellation. Boasting an apparent visual magnitude of 1.35, this blue-white beauty anchors the sickle-shaped asterism that defines the head of the lion and is said to represent the beast’s heart. Regulus is actually a multiple star system that can be at least partially resolved with binoculars.
Some other cozy pairings to watch for include:
October 5: Moon and Saturn
October 8-10: Moon and the Pleiades Cluster (M45)
October 14: Moon and Jupiter
October 19: Moon and Venus
October 24-25: Moon and Antares (a red supergiant also known as the “Rival of Mars”)
Astrophotographer Larry Byrge captured this image of the Andromeda Galaxy with the aid of an Explore Scientific ED102 Triplet Refractor.
All month: Andromeda Galaxy
Autumn’s dark skies make a perfect stage for amateur astronomers to view the beauty of the bright Andromeda Galaxy, which currently sits high in the sky from dusk to dawn. Located at about 2.5 million light years away from Earth, the Andromeda Galaxy is the closest major galaxy to our own Milky Way. Although it is the most distant object the naked eye can see, binoculars can be a handy aid for locating the galaxy, and a telescope will reveal its spiral details and its much smaller companion galaxies known as M32 and M110. To locate the galaxy, find the Great Square and look for two streams of stars that shoot off of it into the Andromeda constellation. An imaginary line drawn up from the middle star of the bottom stream to the middle star in the upper stream, will point to Andromeda.
Jim Norwood captured this image of our Moon with the aid of an Explore Scientific iEXOS-100 GoTo Tracker Mount.
October 4 – International Observe the Moon Night
It’s a steady presence in all of our lives, but most people do not really take the time to appreciate Earth’s closest neighbor. Each year, International Observe the Moon Night aims to right that wrong by encouraging people around the globe to take a good long look at the Moon whether it is through a telescope, binoculars or even with the naked eye. The evening’s goal is to generate appreciation for this stunning celestial beauty and inspire people to delve deeper into the intriguing lunar landscape. For information on the vast range of activities scheduled throughout the world in relation to the event, visit moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night.
Astrophotographer Steve Bellavia captured Titan's shadow transiting Saturn in the wee hours of July 18 with the aid of an Explore Scientific FirstLight Series 152mm Maksutov-Cassegrain.
October 6 – LAST CHANCE to catch Titan’s Shadow Transiting Saturn (Observing/Imaging Challenge)
A transit season is drawing to a close for Saturn’s largest moon, but you’ll need perseverance and a sizable telescope to catch the show! Every 15 years, Earth and Saturn align in just the right way to reveal Titan’s shadow periodically gliding across the cloudy surface of the Ringed Planet. Thanks to a well-timed break in the clouds during the July 18th transit, astrophotographer Steve Bellavia was able to capture the above shot of Titan’s shadow as it raced across the face of Saturn. Although Titan's current transit series is almost done, one opportunity remains for astronomy enthusiasts to attempt to witness a small portion of this phenomenon. This last chance will be shortly after midnight on October 6. During this appearance, the full shadow will only appear on Saturn mid-transit, so there will be limited opportunity to wait for better seeing conditions or cloud clearing. Click here to check out our recent blog post on Steve’s quest to capture this rare sight.
October 8 – Draconid Meteor Shower Peaks
While it usually does not result in an impressive amount of meteors per hour, the Draconid event is a notable rarity among meteor showers because these meteors are best seen in the early evening instead of in the more common post-midnight hours. This meteor shower’s radiant point is in the head of the Draco the Dragon constellation, which makes it mostly a northern hemisphere phenomenon. Set to peak just after nightfall on October 8, the shower usually only produces a few meteors per hour, but it is unpredictable and has produced hundreds per hour in some years. Even though observation conditions will be less than ideal because the peak right on the heels of the Full Moon, it might make for a nice challenge on a crisp autumn eve. For prime viewing find a position under a dark open sky away from light pollution, lie down, look up and see if your patience will be rewarded.
October 21 – Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks
This year observation conditions for the annual Orionid meteor shower will be ideal as the October staple is predicted to peak on the night of the New Moon. Generated when the Earth crosses paths with the dust left behind by Halley’s Comet, the Orionids radiate from the constellation Orion. Observers can typically see 10 to 25 meteors per hour during the shower‘s peak activity time, which will occur between midnight and dawn on October 21. Although the Orionids move fast, they have been known to leave a glowing gas trail that lasts for a few stunning seconds. For prime viewing find a position under a dark open sky away from light pollution, lie down, look up and enjoy the show.
October 29 – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
On October 29, Mercury will be in a prime position for early evening viewing — especially for those in the Southern Hemisphere. Because it is always so close to the Sun, Mercury is usually lost in its glare. But on this day the inner planet will actually set after the Sun as it reaches its greatest eastern elongation or furthest point to the east of the Sun. A clear western horizon is essential for viewing Mercury, which can be found in the Scorpius constellation during the event. While Mercury will be visible as a bright point of light to the naked eye, a moderate-sized telescope will be useful for those wanting a deeper view. As an added bonus, you might catch Mars lurking in the neighborhood of Mercury at twilight.
Constellation Spotlight: Aquarius
Known as the “Water Bearer,” the Aquarius Constellation is perfectly positioned this time of year to pour out its versatile celestial offerings for eager stargazers. Visible from 65° North to 90° South, Aquarius encompasses 980 square degrees and is the 10th largest of the 88 modern constellations. As one of the oldest recognized constellations, Aquarius has a rich mythological foundation that is perhaps best represented in its popular asterism known as “The Water Jar.” Formed by four stars — Gamma Aquarii, Eta Aquarii, Zeta Aquarii and Pi Aquarii — this Y-shaped arrangement is said to represent a tipped water jar from which a stream of more than 20 naked-eye stars appears to flow. The stellar river ends at Fomalhaut, which is the brightest star in the Southern Hemisphere’s Piscis Austrinus constellation. The center member of the Water Jar is Zeta Aquarii, a resolvable binary system with a yellow-white F-type dwarf and a yellow-white F-type subgiant. Aquarius has a number of other notable stars outside of those that define the Water Jar. In fact, its most famous star is Beta Aquarii, which is a multi-star system that includes a rare class of yellow supergiant. Known as Sadalsuud, this star is the brightest in the constellation and has an apparent magnitude of 2.9. To take the top spot, Sadalsuud had to narrowly edge out fellow yellow supergiant Alpha Aquarii, which has an apparent magnitude of 2.95. The third brightest star is Delta Aquarii, which has an apparent magnitude of 3.269. Also called Skat, this star is likely part of the Ursa Major Moving Group, which is defined as “an association of stars with common velocities and origin.” Other stars to visit both in and out of the Water Jar include R Aquarii, a red-hued multi-star system with a variable red giant and a white dwarf; Eta Aquarii, a binary system with stars that are nearly equal in brightness; Gamma Aquarii, a spectroscopic binary with an apparent magnitude of 3.84; Lambda Aquarii, an irregular variable with an apparent magnitude of 3.73; and Epsilon Aquarii, a white subgiant that may be a variable.
This raw image of the Helix Nebula was captured by a Unistellar eVscope 2 smart telescope.
Aquarius also features several nice options for deep sky observers. Messier 2 is a bright globular cluster that can be found 5 degrees north of Beta Aquarii. Made up of about 150,000 stars, M2 is one of the largest of its kind and can be seen by the unaided eye with dark sky conditions. If you are looking for something a little less showy, Messier 72 is a more subdued globular cluster with an apparent magnitude of 9.3. The challenging cluster appears as a hazy area in moderate telescopes. However, a very large telescope will allow you to resolve some of its population of stars, which does include many blue giants and variables. Aquarius is also home to the popular Saturn Nebula, which is one of the brightest planetary nebula. When viewed through a larger telescope at a high power, this beautiful nebula shows a resemblance to the Ringed Planet that it is named after. Smaller telescopes will render the nebula as a misty disk with a nice green hue. Another Aquarius favorite is the sizable Helix Nebula, which was the first of its kind to reveal “knots of nebulosity.” Because it is the closest planetary nebula to Earth, the Helix Nebula appears about half the diameter of the Moon and is best viewed at minimal magnification to maximize the field. In long exposure photographs, the Helix will reveal a mesmerizing eye shape.
In addition to being home to all of these treats, Aquarius serves as the radiant point for several annual meteor showers that are sprinkled throughout the year. These include the Iota Aquarids, Delta Aquarids and Eta Aquarids.
WANT TO NAVIGATE THE NIGHT SKY WITH EASE?
The Tirion Double-Sided Multi-Latitude Planisphere is a comprehensive sky map for northern hemisphere stargazers located between the equator and latitude 60° north that makes it easy to identify what constellations and major celestial objects are up in your night sky based on the date and time.
This night sky guide, which features maps crafted by noted celestial cartographer Wil Tirion, uses a double-sided design to minimize the distortion that is inherent to any polar-centered projection. This design choice means observers can see truer representations of the constellations located outside the equator (noted by a green line) by simply flipping the planisphere over.
In addition to showcasing constellations, this planisphere indicates the location of notable variable stars, open clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Other features include a line representing the ecliptic, a faint blue band for the Milky Way and a magnitude scale that indicates the brightness of the stars that are shown.
This astronomy planisphere is made of durable plastic that easily wipes clean, and the rotating components are secured with sturdy brass rivets for smooth manipulation. Guidance for using your sky map is printed on the device for quick reference.