October 22, 2026: Watch Mars close the gap to Jupiter before sunrise, then find the Hunter’s Moon near Saturn after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:11 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 5:58 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Before sunrise, Mars continues to approach Jupiter, while the Hunter’s Moon is near Saturn after sunset.
Mars Approaches Jupiter
Step outside an hour before sunrise. Bright Jupiter is over 45° above the east-southeast horizon. It rambles eastward in front of Leo, 7.1° to Regulus’ upper right, the Lion’s brightest star. Pause for a moment and look around the sky. It is brighter than all the stars in the sky, including the night’s brightest star, Sirius, less than 30° above the south-southeast horizon.
Mars, 9.4° to Jupiter’s upper right, marches eastward in front of Cancer. It overtakes and passes Jupiter on November 16. Watch Mars close the gap to Jupiter.
Hunter’s Moon Nears Saturn
After sunset, the Hunter’s Moon nears Saturn. An hour after sunset, the lunar orb, 88% illuminated, is nearly 30° above the southeast horizon and over 20° to Saturn’s upper right.
After its opposition earlier this month, the Ringed Wonder is still in a prime location and time for telescopic observations. The rings are tilted about 10° along the sight lines, while the prime view is toward the planet’s southern hemisphere.
During the night, the pair is farther westward. Saturn is about 45° above the southern horizon before local midnight. Tomorrow morning, it sets two hours before sunrise, about 70 minutes after moonset.
Tomorrow, Mars is about 0.5° closer to Jupiter, and the moon is less than 10° from Saturn.
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