Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows. Chevron right
Recovery teams, displaced residents in Texas face brutal heat. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

71°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

71°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

From meteor showers to the brightest star, here’s what to look for in the night sky in October

By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor

Published Sep 27, 2019 4:53 PM EDT

Copied

Fall is also the unofficial beginning of meteor shower season. This month kicks off with three meteor showers. Let's find out more about what's up in the sky for the month of October.

Stargazers will have plenty to see in October's crisp autumn nights, including a trio of meteor showers and the return of the sky’s brightest star.

Here’s what to look for in the night sky throughout the new month:

1. Orionids to cap off trio of meteor showers
When: Oct. 21-22

Autumn is sometimes referred to as meteor shower season as it boasts more showers than any other time of year. October alone features the peak of three separate showers.

The first two meteor showers of the month will peak two nights in a row: the Draconids on the night of Oct. 8 into Oct. 9 and the Southern Taurids on the night of Oct. 9 into Oct. 10.

The Draconids and Southern Taurids are both considered minor showers with just five to 10 meteors per hour. As long as clouds do not interfere, the best viewing will be after 3 a.m. local time after the moon sets.

The best of October's three meteor showers will bring shooting stars in much greater numbers than the Draconids and Southern Taurids combined.

The Orionids will reach its peak on the night of Monday, Oct. 21, into the early hours of Tuesday, Oct. 22. It regularly produces up to 20 or 25 meteors per hour, but between 2006 and 2009, it produced up to 75 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.

“The Orionids are actually made up of debris from Halley's comet,” AccuWeather Astronomy Blogger Dave Samuhel said. “Even though the comet visits the inner solar system only every 76 years, it left behind enough debris to produce this shower year in, year out.”

Typically, the Orionids are best viewed during the second half of the night. However, this year, the moon will be rising around midnight local time, adding extra light pollution to the night sky. People searching for shooting stars after moonrise should focus on a part of the sky away from the moon.

For all three showers, meteors will be visible streaking across all areas of the sky, not just near each shower’s radiant point.

2. Brightest star returns to the night sky
When: Late October

Night owls and early risers looking to the heavens will be able to spot the brightest of the stars as it makes its return to the night sky after being absent during the summer months.

Sirius outshines every star in the sky and began rising at the end of the night in September, but by late October, it will be rising in the southern sky just after midnight.

Not only is it easy to spot due to its brightness, but it is also located just below the constellation Orion. If you find Orion’s belt, it points directly toward Sirius.

Related:

Follow AccuWeather Astronomy on Twitter
3 tips for stargazing without a telescope
‘It’s just magical:’ This hidden gem provides some of the most dazzling stargazing opportunities on the East Coast

“Sirius is well known as the Dog Star, because it’s the chief star in the constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog,” EarthSky explained on its website.

During part of the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the sun. This time of the year is referred to as the dog days of summer.

3. Four planets to dot the evening sky
When: Oct. 20-25

The end of the month will bring a great opportunity to spot four planets at the same time in the same area of the sky.

Each evening between Sunday, Oct. 20, and Friday, Oct. 25, will bring the opportunity to see Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in the southwestern sky.

Of the four planets, Venus and Mercury will be the hardest to spot since they will be sitting so low in the sky barely above the horizon. To see them, onlookers will need a clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon. They will also only be visible for around an hour after sunset before dipping below the horizon.

Venus will be the brighter of the two and can be used as a reference point to find the dimmer Mercury just to the left.

Those out on Halloween trick-or-treating can also look up to see the crescent moon right next to Jupiter.

Looking back at September:

September marked the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere with astronomical fall beginning at 3:50 a.m. EDT on Sept. 23, the latest start to autumn in years.

September also brought the Harvest Moon, one of the most well-known full moons of the year. This year’s Harvest Moon was not a typical full moon, falling on a Friday the 13th for the last time until 2049.

Astronomy events in September 2019
Twitter

An otherworldly solar eclipse was photographed by NASA’s Juno spacecraft as one of Jupiter’s moons cast its shadow on the clouds below.

Even farther in the depths of our solar system, on Saturn’s largest moon Titan, new data shows that its methane-filled lakes were formed after nitrogen explosions.

Closer to home, India attempted to land a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. Unfortunately, India lost contact with the lander near the end of its descent and the craft crash-landed on the Moon.

As Dorian neared landfall in the Bahamas as a historic Category 5 hurricane in early September, astronauts on the International Space Station captured images of the monstrous storm from space.

Later in the month, folks across the eastern United States were able to see the International Space Station as it made a pair of incredibly bright passes over the region.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 10, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Abandoned cars submerged by severe flooding in North Carolina

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Texas Hill Country recovery, cleanup teams to face brutal July weather

15 hours ago

Weather News

State inspection before floods found Camp Mystic had emergency plan

20 hours ago

Weather News

Deadly flash flooding devastates wildfire-scarred New Mexico town

8 hours ago

Astronomy

1st full moon of summer to rise Thursday night

1 day ago

Weather News

Most Texas flood victims face devastation without flood insurance

18 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

14 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Floodwater rising in your house? Do this

2 days ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

14 hours ago

Weather News

Earthquake swarm detected at Mount Rainier, biggest since 2009

19 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

14 hours ago

AccuWeather Weather News From meteor showers to the brightest star, here’s what to look for in the night sky in October
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...