Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    October astronomy outlook: Two eclipses and two meteor showers!

15:00
1 October 2023

October astronomy outlook
Two eclipses and two meteor showers!

star-gazing

October brings a feast of astronomical events for stargazers, including two meteor showers and two eclipses... although these won't be too visible for those in the UK and Ireland.

The month is kicked off with the arrival of the Draconids meteor shower. Active from around October 6, and peaking the night of October 8. This is one of the slower showers of the year but is best seen in the early evening looking towards the Draco constellation.

On October 14 a new moon brings us an annular solar eclipse. This sees the moon entering the sun's path, but being too far away from Earth to completely block the light. Resulting in a halo appearing around the sun.

Sadly this will not be visible in the UK, Ireland, or Europe, but a new moon always brings darker skies ideal for spotting constellations, and possibly a few early Orionids.

Travelling during the eclipse?

The annular solar eclipse will be visible firstly off the coast of southern Canada before moving over southwestern America into Central America, reaching Columbia and Brazil before ending.

The second meteor shower of the month is also technically the first. Active from October 2, the Orionids reach their peak on the night of October 21, best seen between midnight and dawn. These meteors are parts of Halley's Comet, the comet itself will not return until 2061.

This shower originates from the Orion the Hunter constellation and runs until November 7.

October ends with the arrival of the Hunter's Moon on the 28th. Like all full moons, its name originates from Native American tribes. This year, the full moon also brings us a partial lunar eclipse.

The eclipse will be visible across Europe. Much of Asia and Africa will also see the event, while western regions of Australia and eastern parts of the US and southern America will see the eclipse as the moon rises.

If you're heading out for a night under the stars, don't forget your camera! We want to see your pictures! Use our uploader to submit, you don't need fancy equipment, even a smartphone can capture great shots.

Tips: Astrophotography with your phoneread more
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Short burst of chilly mornings. A taste of winter. . . Wednesday 7 October 2026
Split temperature maps showing a cold 3-8°C start across the UK and Ireland followed by much milder 12-16°C conditions.
Wednesday 7 October 2026

A taste of winter

Short burst of chilly mornings
Hurricane threatens the US coast. First storm of the season. . . Thursday 8 October 2026
The WindRadar shows a powerful hurricane off the US Gulf Coast. Wind speeds of 75 miles per hour are being recorded around the centre of the storm.
Thursday 8 October 2026

First storm of the season

Hurricane threatens the US coast
Much of Europe in storm mode. Twin low-pressure systems. . . Friday 9 October 2026
WindRadar for Europe, showing wind speeds of up to 40 mph and wind socks over particularly windy regions.
Friday 9 October 2026

Twin low-pressure systems

Much of Europe in storm mode
All weather news
This might also interest you
Long-term trends need a pinch of salt. 40 °C in July?. . . Tuesday 30 June 2026
Temperature radar of 2022 heatwave where the all-time temperature record in the UK was set. Warning symbol overlain.
Tuesday 30 June 2026

40 °C in July?

Long-term trends need a pinch of salt
A stormy week in the skies above. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday 30 August 2026
Split image showing lightning branching beneath dark storm clouds above rooftops on the left and an orange-pink sunset over a calm sea on the right.
Sunday 30 August 2026

Your weather - Your shots

A stormy week in the skies above
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . Weather Videos. Wednesday 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Weather VideosWednesday 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList