Stargazers are in for a treat with the brief appearance of a vast, temporary celestial triangle in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, October 14. This striking formation will be visible in the eastern sky, featuring the Last-Quarter Moon, the brilliant planet Jupiter, and the star Pollux, one of the “twin” stars in the constellation Gemini. This event unfolds after midnight and before sunrise, making the ideal viewing time between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. local time in the Northern Hemisphere for the clearest, darkest skies. The trio will climb high into the southern sky by dawn, easily observable with the naked eye.
As the half-lit Last-Quarter Moon rises, Jupiter will be unmistakable, shining as the brightest object in the sky with a steady, brilliant glow. Pollux, the brighter of the Gemini twins, will be positioned above the Moon, completing the large triangle stretching across Gemini. While the formation is beautiful with just the naked eye, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope can enhance the experience, allowing observers to spot Jupiter’s four largest moons—Ganymede, Europa, Callisto, and Io—appearing as tiny points of light near the planet.
Beyond this temporary triangle, October’s skies promise further excitement for astronomy enthusiasts. Two potentially once-in-a-lifetime comets, Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) and Comet SWAN R2 (Comet C/2025 R2), are expected to become visible in the post-sunset sky, potentially with binoculars or even the naked eye. Remarkably, their peak brightness is anticipated to coincide with the New Moon and the peak of the Orionid meteor shower on October 21-22, ensuring ideal dark sky conditions. Following this, the largest Supermoon since 2019 will grace the sky when the Full Beaver Moon rises on November 5.
Transient Celestial Triangle to Dominate Pre-Dawn Sky
