Night sky October 2027 UK: planets, Moon and meteor showers
What to see from Britain in October 2027, with times worked out for UK skies rather than copied from American guides.
October nights are long and the autumn constellations are at their best, with the winter stars rising before midnight. Saturn is in the evening sky, and Jupiter is best before dawn in mid-October 2027. Uranus and Neptune are also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The full Moon, the Hunter's Moon, is on Friday 15 October 2027. The Draconids peak on the night of 8 to 9 October, with the Moon 64% lit. The Orionids peak on the night of 21 to 22 October, with the Moon 58% lit.
October 2027 night sky: key dates
| Date | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Thursday 7 October | First Quarter at about 12:50 BST |
| Friday 8 October | Draconids meteor shower peaks on the night of 8 to 9 October (Moon 64% lit) |
| Friday 15 October | Full Moon, the Hunter's Moon at about 14:50 BST |
| Monday 18 October | Saturn at opposition: opposite the Sun, up all night and at its brightest |
| Wednesday 20 October | Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun (conjunction) and can't be seen |
| Thursday 21 October | Orionids meteor shower peaks on the night of 21 to 22 October (Moon 58% lit) |
| Friday 22 October | Last Quarter at about 18:30 BST |
| Tuesday 26 October | The Moon passes near Jupiter before dawn |
| Friday 29 October | New Moon at about 14:40 BST |
| Sunday 31 October | Clocks go back to GMT at 2am: dark arrives an hour earlier in the evening |
Times are UK local time, rounded to five minutes. For what's up on a particular night, see the UK night sky this week and the 7-night astronomy weather forecast.
When does it get dark in October in the UK?
On 15 October the Sun sets at about 18:15 BST in central England and the sky is dark enough for stargazing from about 19:25 until 06:20. True astronomical darkness, which faint galaxies and the Milky Way need, lasts from about 20:05 to 05:40.
| Date | Sunset | Dark enough to stargaze | Astronomical darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October | 18:45 BST | 20:00 to 05:55 | 20:40 to 05:15 |
| 15 October | 18:15 BST | 19:25 to 06:20 | 20:05 to 05:40 |
| 31 October | 16:40 GMT | 17:55 to 05:45 | 18:35 to 05:05 |
For Birmingham. "Dark enough" means the Sun is 12° below the horizon; astronomical darkness means 18°. Around midsummer it never gets that dark in Edinburgh or anywhere further north. In midwinter Edinburgh is dark about 5 minutes earlier than Birmingham and Plymouth about 15 minutes later; in spring and autumn the whole country is within about 15 minutes of these times.
Planets visible in October 2027
Saturn is in the evening sky, and Jupiter is best before dawn in mid-October 2027. Uranus and Neptune are also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The details below are for 15 October from central England; times move by a few minutes from night to night.
Not well placed this month: Mercury, Venus, Mars.
Moon phases October 2027
| Phase | Date and time |
|---|---|
| First Quarter | Thursday 7 October, about 12:50 BST |
| Full Moon | Friday 15 October, about 14:50 BST |
| Last Quarter | Friday 22 October, about 18:30 BST |
| New Moon | Friday 29 October, about 14:40 BST |
The best evenings for faint targets this month are 1 to 5 and 20 to 31 October, when the Moon is out of the sky for at least the first hour after dark. The full Moon is the Hunter's Moon; our moon phase tonight page shows the Moon for any night.
Meteor showers in October 2027
- Draconids: peak on the night of 8 to 9 October. Up to 10 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is at first quarter (64% lit), up in the evening and setting at about 00:15; the darkest skies come after that.
- Orionids: peak on the night of 21 to 22 October. Up to 20 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is at last quarter (58% lit), rising at about 22:00; the darkest skies are before then.
Also active this month: Southern Taurids, Northern Taurids.
For a quick verdict on any night, see is there a meteor shower tonight, and the UK meteor shower calendar for the year ahead.
Constellations and deep-sky objects in October
The Square of Pegasus is due south in mid-evening, Andromeda and Cassiopeia are almost overhead, and the Pleiades rise in the east. Orion follows after midnight.
- The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), high overhead
- The Double Cluster in Perseus
- The Pleiades (M45), rising in the east by mid-evening
To find your way around, our constellation guides show each star pattern, and binocular astronomy explains how to star-hop to clusters like these. For the darkest skies near you, try the UK dark sky sites map.
Kit for a month of stargazing
Kit we've reviewed in full
Nothing on this page needs more than your eyes, but a star chart and a red light make finding things far easier, and binoculars show the Moon's craters, Jupiter's moons and the best star clusters.
Philip's Planisphere (latitude 51.5° North)
Turn the wheel to the date and time and it shows exactly which constellations are up. Made for 51.5° north, so it matches the sky over Britain.
Lepro Rechargeable Head Torch with Red Light (2 pack)
Red light lets you read a chart without undoing the 20 minutes your eyes need to adapt to the dark.
The UK astronomy forums' standard first pair: waterproof, bright and the right size for clusters, the Moon and the Milky Way.
Our best binoculars for stargazing
Honest, research-based recommendations for every budget.
Browse all →Affiliate links: you pay the same price, we earn a small commission that helps keep WatchTheStars free.
Every figure on this page is calculated for central England (52.5° north) when the site rebuilds each night, using the same methods as our stargazing tonight tool, checked against the JPL ephemeris. Each month's page moves on to the following year once the month ends.