SPACE CALENDAR: Here’s what to look for in the skies in October

Let yourself be washed away in a couple of meteor showers this month. That’s the highlight for a month that also includes the annual Harvest Moon.

Full Harvest Moon

Full Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox (around Sept. 23). Its name comes from the extra evening light it provides, once used by farmers to finish harvesting after sunset. For several nights in a row, the Moon rises soon after the Sun sets, creating a short gap between sunset and moonrise and giving the impression of extended twilight.

This year’s Harvest Moon falls on Monday, Oct. 6, reaching full illumination at 11:47 p.m. It will appear full for three days — including the night before (October 5) and the night after (October 7).

Oct. 8 and 9 Draconid Meteor Shower

The Draconids occur when Earth passes through a trail of debris left by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, a 6.6-year periodic comet made of ice and rocky fragments. The predicted peak for the shower is 3 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 8, but the best time to watch is as darkness falls that evening through the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 9.

The radiant (apparent point in the sky from which meteors seem to originate) is highest in the evening sky unlike most showers which are best viewed after midnight. The nearly full waning gibbous moon makes meteors more difficult to see. Under a dark, moonless sky, you might expect about 10 meteors per hour, but this shower is known for surprises: On rare occasions, it has erupted with hundreds of meteors per hour.

Oct. 20 Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) Close Approach [S]

Comet Lemmon, discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona, makes its closest pass to Earth tonight — just 55 million miles (89 million km) away. This long-period comet takes roughly 1,350 years to orbit the Sun and is now brightening as it approaches perihelion on Nov. 8.

Look for Comet Lemmon low in the western sky shortly after sunset, starting in mid-October and especially around its closest approach on Monday, Oct. 20. The comet will be visible for roughly 60 to 90 minutes after dusk before setting. Seek out a dark, rural sky to glimpse its faint greenish coma — binoculars will enhance the view and may reveal a short tail. If the skies are very dark, you may be able to spot it with the naked eye.

Oct. 22 and 23 Orionid Meteor Shower [S]

The Orionids are one of autumn’s best meteor showers. The show starts on Sept. 26 and runs through Nov. 22, but it’s peak, and therefore the best opportunity to watch, will be between midnight and dawn on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 21 and 22. This year’s new moon brings especially dark skies, creating ideal viewing conditions.

The Orionids are debris from Halley’s Comet, left behind during its 76-year orbit around the Sun. Earth hits this stream of particles almost head-on, causing meteors to streak through the sky at 41 miles per second (66 km/s) — some of the fastest of any shower.

The American Meteor Society estimates 10 to 20 shower members at maximum. In some exceptional years, such as 2006 through 2009, the peak rates reached up to 50 to 75/hr.

The radiant lies near Orion’s club, but don’t stare directly at Orion — meteors will appear across the sky. Find a dark spot, lie back, and let your eyes adjust for 30 minutes to take in as much sky as possible.

Planets Visible This Month

■ Mercury — Returns as a morning star in mid-October, low on the eastern horizon just before sunrise.

■ Venus — Brilliant “morning star” visible well before dawn, rising higher each day.

■ Mars — Still faint but climbing higher in the pre-dawn sky toward Gemini.

■ Jupiter — Dominant in the late-night sky, rising earlier each evening and shining bright by midnight.

■ Saturn — Still well-placed after its September opposition, glowing steadily in the southeast after dusk and high by late evening.

Moon Phases

■ Full Moon: Monday, Oct. 6.

■ Last Quarter: Monday, Oct. 13. 

■ New Moon: Tuesday, Oct. 21. 

■ First Quarter: Wednesday, Oct. 29.