Astronomers Without Borders

10/19/2026

☄️ Halley's Comet Won't Return Until 2061, BUT You Can Watch its Debris /light /up the Sky This Week!

📌 SAVE THIS POST NOW, your best chance comes before dawn!

Imagine looking up and seeing a tiny piece of the most famous comet in history flash across your sky. That’s what makes the Orionid meteor shower so special!

Every October, Earth sweeps through dust shed by Halley’s Comet. Those particles slam into our atmosphere at about 100 MILES PER SECOND, producing the streaks we call shooting stars. Some even leave glowing trails that linger after the meteor disappears!

🎯 YOUR SKY MISSION: CATCH AN ORIONID
📅 Late night October 21 into before dawn 22

Here’s your mission briefing:

🌙 Wait until AFTER moonset to get best dark views. A bright Moon will hide fainter meteors earlier in the night. Check your local moonset time.

🌌 Find dark skies and a wide-open view.*Recline comfortably and look high overhead, taking in as much sky as possible.

👀 Forget the telescope! Your eyes give you the wide view you need. Put your phone away and allow about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust.

🧥 Dress warmly and give it time. Plan for at least 30–60 minutes outside.

Orionids appear to stream from near Orion constellation, but they can streak across the sky—you don’t need to stare directly at the constellation.

Under excellent dark skies, the shower typically produces around 10–20 meteors an hour. Expect fewer with light pollution or moonlight.

The main peak is expected overnight October 21–22, but try either morning if skies are clear.

✨ The amazing part? That split-second flash connects your backyard to Halley’s Comet.

Have you ever seen Halley’s Comet, or would these meteors be your first connection with it? Tell me below, along with where you’ll be watching! 👇

↗️ SHARE this mission with someone who’d get up early for a little cosmic adventure.

⭐ FOLLOW me @ The Night Sky Guy for your next SKY MISSION, what to look for, when to look and where to look!

📷 SkySafari

10/18/2026

☄️ HALLEY’S COMET METEORS ARE COMING...SET YOUR SKYWATCHING ALARM! ⏰

📌 SAVE THIS POST NOW: your October 19–25 sky mission starts here!

This week, timing matters: catch meteors before dawn, use the Moon to find Saturn, and have your camera ready for Sunday’s rising Hunter’s Moon. 🌕

No telescope needed for these four missions!

🎯 YOUR SKY MISSION THIS WEEK:

1️⃣ OCT. 21–22 • BEFORE DAWN
WATCH METEORS FROM HALLEY’S COMET ☄️
The Orionids are tiny pieces of comet debris burning through our atmosphere! Head somewhere dark AFTER the Moon sets and before morning twilight. Give yourself at least 30–60 minutes—and watch a wide stretch of sky.

⚠️ This is a patient skywatching mission: moonlight and city lights will hide fainter meteors. Just keep in mind that you’re hunting individual streaks, not a nonstop fireworks display.

2️⃣ OCT. 23–24 • EVENING
LET THE MOON GUIDE YOU TO SATURN 🪐
Find the bright Moon, then use the chart to identify nearby Saturn. That little point of light is an entire world surrounded by rings! You can spot the planet with your eyes; seeing its rings takes a telescope.

3️⃣ SUNDAY, OCT. 25 • EVENING
PHOTOGRAPH THE RISING HUNTER’S MOON 🌕
Check your local moonrise time and choose an open eastern horizon. Include a tree, building or skyline for a memorable shot. The Moon reaches its full phase just after midnight EDT on October 26.

4️⃣ ANY CLEAR MORNING • BEFORE DAWN
FIND TWO PLANETS AND A STAR ✨
Look east to southeast for brilliant Jupiter, reddish Mars and the star Regulus. Can you identify all three?

🎯 MISSION ACCEPTED?
Which mission will get YOU outside, and where will you be watching? Tell me your city or region below! 👇

↗️ SHARE this briefing with your skywatching partner so you can choose a morning or evening together.

⭐ FOLLOW ME @ The Night Sky Guy for your weekly SKY MISSION briefing: what to find, when to look and where to look.

📷 SkySafari

10/17/2026

Check out this multisensory star party taking place in the Philippines

10/01/2026

🌙✨ OCTOBER SKY MISSION TARGETS ARE HERE! ✨🌙

October is shaping up to be one of the most fun skywatching months of the fall. Here’s your official mission list.

This month brings a dramatic planet disappearance behind the Moon, Mars cruising through a star cluster, meteors from Halley’s Comet, and the Moon sweeping across the famous Seven Sisters, with several of these events easy to enjoy with just your eyes or binoculars.

😉 Of course this is just a tiny, personal selection, but there are a lot more sky events that I'll be highlighting throughout the month...so stay tuned 🤩

✅ SAVE THIS POST: Tap the bookmark icon so you have these dates ready when you head outside this month.

🌙 October 6 — The Moon Makes Jupiter Disappear
🔴 October 10–11 — Mars Flies Through the Beehive Cluster
☄️ October 21–22 — Orionid Meteor Shower: Meteors from Halley’s Comet
✨ October 27 — The Moon Covers the Seven Sisters

👋 If you’re new here, welcome to the crew! Hit FOLLOW to get my detailed guides, finder charts, observing tips, and “what to look for” posts for every one of these sky targets.

❓ Which event are you most excited to see this month? Tell me your location and your top target below!

🔁 And please share this with someone who could use a reason to look up this October.

Clear skies,
Andrew, The Night Sky Bill Nye The Science Guy

📷 SkySafari

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

Calling African Early-Career Astronomers!

The African Astronomical Society (AfAS) Early Career Committee invites you to join a virtual conference designed by Early-Career Astronomers for Early-Career Astronomers.

Under the theme “Astronomy Between Theory and Observations,” the conference will create a space to share research, exchange ideas, build networks, and foster collaborations across Africa.

📅 20 January 2027 | 💻 Virtual | 🎟️ Free participation

Abstract submissions close on 20 December 2026.

Register and Submit your Abstract here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf64nRnhjeIJ93ECy-qGT8V4EWZzar3CG-sJdYrx-Z3AVrigA/viewform?pli=1

10/01/2026

With clear skies forecast across much of the UK tonight (01/10/26) is a great night to try the FREE 100 Hours Online webapp! Visit https://100hours.online any time between now and midnight on Sunday. Give it a go! Let us know how you get on!