October 11-16, 2024: The waxing gibbous moon moves eastward and passes Saturn. Look for the pair after sundown.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Moon Passes Saturn
The moon waxes eastward after its First Quarter phase on October 10th. After sundown, the lunar orb is in the southern sky, while Saturn is in the east-southeast.
Here’s what to see an hour after sunset:
- October 11: One hour after sundown, the gibbous moon, 63 % illuminated, is over 20° above the southern horizon. Saturn, over 20° up in the southeast, is nearly 40° east of the moon. Look for the star Fomalhaut, the mouth of the Southern Fish, over 5° above the southeast horizon and 21° to the lower right of Saturn.
- October 12: The moon, 74% illuminated, is nearly 25° above the south-southeast horizon. It is 6.0° to the upper left of Deneb Algedi, Capricornus’ tail. The Saturn-Moon gap is 25°.
- October 13: The gibbous moon, 83% illuminated, is nearly 25° above the southeast horizon. Saturn is 11° to the moon’s left. Find Fomalhaut over 17° below the moon.
- October 14: The moon, 91% illuminated, is over 20° above the southeast horizon, 3.9° to Saturn’s lower left. In this moonlight look carefully for the Ringed Wonder. Earlier this evening the lunar orb occults or eclipses Saturn from southeast Africa and south-central Asia.
- October 15: Approaching the Full moon phase, the lunar orb, 97% illuminated, is nearly 20° above the east-southeast horizon, and over 19° to Saturn’s lower left. It is 4.7° to Neptune’s lower left and in the same binocular field of view, but moonlight is too bright to easily locate the most-distant planet in the modern solar system.
Hunter’s Moon
The moon is at the Full moon phase on the 17th at 6:26 a.m. Central Time. This month’s seasonal moon is known as the Hunter’s Moon.
During the five nights described, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is appearing in the western evening sky. The comet’s visibility is diminished by the brightening moon. Look for it in the western sky.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, April 8 -11: Morning Moon and Sagittarius Before Sunrise
A waning gibbous moon moves in front of Sagittarius before sunrise from April 8–11l. See the changing positions each morning. - 2026, April 7: Moon Near Antares Before Sunrise, Venus and Jupiter After Sunset
2026, April 7: A 75% illuminated moon appears near Antares before sunrise. After sunset, Venus and Jupiter shine brightly, with Venus moving toward a conjunction in the evening sky. - 2026, April 6: Moon Near Antares: Spot Messier 4 and Scorpius Before Sunrise
April 6, 2026: The 83% illuminated moon appears near Antares before sunrise. Use a binocular to locate Pi Scorpii, Al Niyat, and the globular cluster Messier 4 low in the south-southwest sky. - 2026, April 5: Early Spring Evening Stars – 10 Bright Stars Visible Tonight
See 10 of the 15 brightest stars during early spring evenings. Find Sirius, Arcturus, Jupiter, and more using this simple sky guide after twilight ends. - 2026, April 4-7: Moon Moves Past Scorpius Before Sunrise
April 4-7, 2026: Track the bright gibbous moon as it moves eastward in front of Scorpius before sunrise. See its changing position near Antares and the Scorpion’s claws from April 4–7.