A practical guide to what you can look for from the UK, with dates, viewing notes and sources.
This first edition covers 15–31 October 2026. Use it to choose an observing night, then check your local weather and horizon. Visibility varies across the UK: a date in this guide is an opportunity, not a guarantee of clear skies.
Last checked: 15 October 2026. Times are UK local time where stated: BST before the clock change on 25 October, GMT afterwards. Moonrise and moonset vary by location.
October 2026: coming up
| Date / UK observing night | Event | How to observe | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October | First-quarter Moon | Look for a roughly half-lit Moon in the evening. No equipment needed; binoculars offer a closer view. | Moon |
| Night of 21–22 October | Orionid meteor shower | Look between midnight and dawn. Moonlight will interfere; the period after local moonset offers darker skies. Use your eyes, not a telescope. | Meteors |
| Night of 24–25 October | Moon near Saturn | Look for Saturn near the bright Moon. Their apparent closeness is a line-of-sight effect. A telescope is needed for a useful view of Saturn’s rings. | Planets |
| 26 October | Full Moon | The full phase occurs at 04:12 GMT. It will appear broadly full on the surrounding nights; the precise phase time is not its rising time. | Moon |
| Throughout the rest of October | Saturn in the evening sky | Saturn remains an autumn target after its early-October opposition. Use a current sky chart for your location to identify it. | Planets |
Choose the right night
The Royal Observatory’s Orionid guide describes a broad maximum rather than a single guaranteed burst. The shower is associated with debris from Halley’s Comet. A bright Moon reduces the number of faint meteors you can see; published hourly rates should not be treated as a promise for your garden.
For local lunar rising and setting times, use a location-specific almanac. London’s October Moon table is one example, not a timetable for the whole UK. Check the selected month and year before using it.
The UK clocks go back on 25 October: at 02:00 BST they return to 01:00 GMT. Take care with observing plans spanning that night, especially if an astronomy source gives times in UTC.
Before you go outside
Choose a safe, accessible place with a clear horizon and dress for a long period outdoors. Give your eyes time to adjust and keep bright screens out of your field of view. For meteors, a broad view of the sky matters more than magnification. Clouds, haze, buildings and artificial light can all limit what you see.
If using binoculars or a telescope, set up somewhere stable and take time to identify your target. Never point optical equipment at the Sun without appropriate purpose-made solar equipment and expert guidance.
Explore the science
- Comets: Cosmic Visitors, Omens and What Science Reveals
- Asteroids and Earth: How Scientists Measure the Risk
- Browse Astronomy & Space
Sources and scope
Royal Observatory Greenwich — October 2026 highlights; Orionid guide; timeanddate — London Moon times; GOV.UK — clock changes.
This is a selected observing guide, not a complete list of astronomical events or a live weather service. A sky event’s absence here does not mean none occurs. Observing notes are written for UK readers; exact directions and rise/set times require your location.