Daily Guide
A detailed guide to watching the sky – written by NASA experts.
October Skywatching
Comets: Unpredictable, But Irresistible
A new comet is passing through the inner solar system! Time will tell if it's the brightest of the year, once it appears in twilight after about October 14.
Skywatching Highlights
- All month – Planet visibility report: Look for Venus low in the west just after sunset; Saturn can be seen toward the southeast as soon as it gets dark; Mars rises around midnight; and Jupiter rises in the first half of the night (rising earlier as the month goes on).
- October 2 – New Moon
- October 11 – Europa is easily observable to one side of Jupiter by itself this morning using binoculars.
- October 14-31 – Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) becomes visible low in the west following sunset. If the comet's tail is well-illuminated by sunlight, it could be visible to the unaided eye. The first week and a half (Oct. 14-24) is the best time to observe, using binoculars or a small telescope.
- October 13-14 – After dark both nights, look for the nearly full Moon with Saturn toward the southeast.
- October 17 – Full Moon
- October 20 – The Moon rises near Jupiter, with the giant planet looking extremely bright. You should be able to find them low in the east after around 10 pm.
- October 23-24 – Early risers will be able to spot Mars together with the Moon, high overhead in the south both mornings.
- October 25 – Europa is easily observable to one side of Jupiter by itself this morning using binoculars.
Daily Guides Archive
An archive of retired NASA executive Gordon Johnston's monthly skywatching column.
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