The Met Office has highlighted five night-sky events to look out for in the coming months, including a supermoon, meteor showers and a planetary alignment. The events are set to take place in October and November 2026.
What the Met Office said
Providing details on its social media channels, the Met Office said: "From a supermoon to meteor showers and even a planetary line-up, autumn has plenty to offer once the Sun goes down. Swipe through 5-night sky events to look out for over the coming months. Which one are you most excited to see?"
The five events
The first event is the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, which will be visible on autumn evenings. The Met Office advises: "Look to the eastern sky, one of the easiest and most recognisable star clusters to spot."
Royal Museums Greenwich explains on its website that while the name suggests there are only seven stars, there are actually over 1,000 stars in the cluster, with only six usually visible to most people with the naked eye. The stars are notable for their striking blue colour, which is due to their high temperatures.
The Pleiades are visible from the Northern Hemisphere between October and April, with the best time to spot them being during November and December when they are visible all night.
Meteor showers and planetary alignment
The Orionid meteor shower, which the Met Office describes as "meteors from Halley's Comet, the best time to view is before dawn," will be active from October 2 to November 7, peaking on the night of October 21 between midnight and dawn, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.
A planetary alignment is set to occur on October 22, with the Met Office stating: "Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will line up in the predawn sky."
The Leonid meteor shower, which the Met Office says are "meteors produced when Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle," will be active from November 6 to 30, peaking overnight on November 17. Royal Museums Greenwich notes that the Leonids are "usually one of the more prolific annual meteor showers, with fast, bright meteors."
Beaver supermoon
November's full moon, known as the Beaver supermoon, will occur on November 24 and is the first of a run of four consecutive supermoons, according to the Met Office. Royal Museums Greenwich explains that there is disagreement over the origin of the name, with some saying it comes from Native Americans setting beaver traps during this month, while others say it comes from the heavy activity of beavers building their winter dams. Another name is the frost moon.
