The Ellensburg, WA sky for the week of October 3, 2026

Saturday: This week is World Space Week. Go to https://www.worldspaceweek.org for more information and a listing of key events. I want to highlight https://sheorbitscompany.com, an organization that is pioneering women’s leadership in space exploration. They are sponsoring virtual events for females interested in space.

Sunday: Saturn is in opposition tonight. That doesn’t mean that Saturn is stubborn. Opposition means that Saturn is on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun. When an object is in opposition, it is at its highest point in the sky during the darkest time of the day. Thus, opposition is typically the best time to observe a planet. Saturn is about three and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above due south at 1:00 a.m. It is nearly two fists above due southeast at 10:00 p.m. Careful readers of this column may recall that Saturn is in opposition about 12 days later each year: August 1, 2021, August 14, 2022, August 26, 2023, September 7, 2024, and September 20, 2025. An outer planet is in opposition when Earth passes it up as both orbit the Sun. The farther out a planet is, the less it has moved along its orbit, and the closer it is to exactly one year from one Earth passing to the next. For comparison, it is about 18 months between successive oppositions for Mars. Saturn is three fists above due southeast at 10:30 p.m.

Monday: The moon, Mars, and the open star cluster called The Beehive Cluster are in a line about four and a half fists above the east-southeastern horizon at 6:00 a.m. the Beehive Cluster is just to the upper right of the moon and Mars is about a half fist to the upper right of the moon.

Tuesday: The Draconid meteor shower peaks for the next four nights with Thursday night being the best. The meteors appear to come from a point in the head of Draco, the dragon constellation. This point is nearly straight overhead at 7:00 p.m. tonight. This point remains near the trapezoid-shaped head of Draco throughout the night. Unlike most meteor showers, this one is best observed in the early evening rather than after midnight. Call this the “early to bed” meteor shower. Draconid meteors are slow moving which means you will have an easy time differentiating true Draconid meteors, from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, from the stray grains of dust that happen to enter the Earth’s atmosphere every day and night. Luckily, the moon is in the waning crescent phase, close to new, meaning it won’t interfere much with viewing. For everything you need to know about the Draconid meteor shower, go to https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-draconid-meteor-shower

Wednesday: Jupiter is three and a half fists above the east-southeastern horizon at 6:00 a.m.

Thursday: The bright star Arcturus is one and a half fists above the west-northwestern horizon at 8:00 p.m.

Friday: The Milky Way makes a faint white trail from due northeast, by the moon, through straight overhead to due southwest at 9:00 p.m. Starting in the northeast, the Milky Way “passes through” the prominent constellations Auriga the charioteer, Cassiopeia the queen, and Cygnus the swan with its brightest star, Deneb, nearly straight overhead. After Cygnus, you’ll see Aquila the eagle with its brightest star Altair about four and a half fists above the southwest horizon.

The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week. For up-to-date information about the night sky, go to https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm. All times are Pacific Time unless noted.