This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 October 3 – October 10
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 October 3 – October 10
The Pleiades star cluster, which is located in the shoulder of Taurus the Bull, is rising around 8:30 pm now as a harbinger of winter. In a month it will be rising at sunset. Due to its shape, this eye-catching cluster has been mistaken for the Little Dipper. Most of us can count six stars in the Pleiades under good conditions but keen-eyed wonders have picked out twice that number from a dark sky. A low power view of it in binoculars will show a couple of dozen stars and it is one of the prettiest sights you will see in the night sky.
According to Wikipedia, the name Pleiades likely comes from the ancient Greek word “plein,” which means “to sail.” Sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea typically began when the cluster was first spotted before sunrise. In mythology it became the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, hence its common name of the Seven Sisters. Somewhere along the way one of them got lost. Astronomers also know it as M45 from the Messier catalogue. The cluster played a significant role in marking time for several ancient cultures, including the Maori, Mayan, Aztec and some First Nations.
Perhaps you have seen the Pleiades while stuck in traffic and just haven’t realized it. The six-star logo of Subaru automobiles depicts the Pleiades, as Subaru is the Japanese name for the cluster. The name, which means “united,” was chosen because the large company was formed from a merger of five.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Saint John is at 7:24 and sunset will occur at 7:00, giving 11 hours, 36 minutes of daylight. Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:33 and set at 6:47, giving 11 hours, 14 minutes of daylight.
The Moon is at third quarter this Saturday and it is new next Saturday. The Moon is very near Mars Monday morning, and early risers can see it occult Jupiter around 5:33 Tuesday morning, with the planet reappearing an hour later. A challenging target very low to the southwest, Mercury sets 40 minutes after sunset this week as it slides above Venus. By next weekend Venus will be setting with the Sun. Saturn is at opposition on Sunday, gaining in brightness somewhat as its rings reflect sunlight toward us. Keen telescope users can see the shadows of Jupiter’s moons Europa and Callisto crossing the planet between 4:30 and 6:50 on Tuesday morning. Late in the week rural observers might see the zodiacal light in the east an hour or two before sunrise.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre this Saturday at 7 pm. Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the Facebook page or YouTube site of Astronomy by the Bay.