October 1, 2026: The waning moon shines in front of Taurus near Aldebaran and the Pleiades. Watch it move toward Mars and an occultation (eclipse) of Jupiter across North America.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:48 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:32 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Moon With Taurus
Step outside an hour before sunrise and look high in the south-southwest. The bright moon, 74% illuminated, is high in the sky. The lunar orb is in front of Taurus.
The moon is over 10° to Aldebaran’s upper right, Taurus’ brightest star and the ninth brightest star visible from the mid-northern latitudes. In comparison, Capella, the fourth brightest star, is nearly overhead.
Back in Taurus, use a binocular to spot the Pleiades, 9.7° to the moon’s lower right. As the moon wanes, views of the star cluster become easier with and without optical assistance. The Bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri, are about 15° to the moon’s upper left.
Tomorrow morning, the moon is about 2° east of Elnath. The moon passes 1.1° south of the star at 2:00 a.m. Central Time.
Upcoming Lunar Occultation of Jupiter
As the moon revolves farther eastward, it is near Mars on October 5. Across North America the next morning, the moon occults (eclipses) Jupiter.
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