# Night sky news, October 31, 2026: moon, events, aurora

Waning Gibbous, 60% lit. 1 sky event this week and 5 sourced news items for October 31, 2026.

## The sky on October 31, 2026

**Moon.** On the evening of October 31, 2026 the Moon is waning gibbous, 60% illuminated. That day the Moon sets at 1:32 PM MDT and rises at 11:00 PM MDT. Times are for Denver, Colorado; they shift by minutes to an hour elsewhere in the US and Canada.

### Visible this week

- [Aurora Outlook: Solar Cycle 25 Decline](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/events/aurora-outlook-2026-2028), September 24, 2026 to December 31, 2028. Northern US states and all of Canada; strong geomagnetic storms can push visibility as far south as the mid-latitude US.

## Sourced stories

### [November’s Night Sky Notes: Light-Day Away](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/nightly-news/2026-10-31/november-s-night-sky-notes-light-day-away)

Source: [NASA (all news)](https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/night-sky-network/novembers-night-sky-notes-light-day-away/)

NASA's Voyager mission used a rare alignment of outer planets for a solar system tour. The twin spacecraft revealed details about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, using each planet's gravity to proceed to the next destination. Voyager continues to return valuable science from the far reaches of the solar system.

### [Ghostly Cat’s Head Nebula lurks within sight of Hubble and Webb](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/nightly-news/2026-10-31/ghostly-cat-s-head-nebula-lurks-within-sight-of-hubble-and-webb)

Source: [ESA (European Space Agency)](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Ghostly_Cat_s_Head_Nebula_lurks_within_sight_of_Hubble_and_Webb)

Hubble and Webb telescopes viewed the Cat's Head Nebula. The Cat's Head Nebula is located approximately 7500 light-years away from Earth within the Carina Nebula. Hubble's visible-light view shows a dark dust pillar, while Webb's infrared-light imagery reveals many hidden stars.

### [The Taurid meteor shower isn't much to look at. That's why I love it](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/nightly-news/2026-10-31/the-taurid-meteor-shower-isn-t-much-to-look-at-that-s-why-i-love-it)

Source: [Space.com](https://www.space.com/stargazing/meteor-showers/the-taurid-meteor-shower-isnt-much-to-look-at-thats-why-i-love-it)

The Taurid meteor shower peaks around November 4-5 and November 11-12. The Northern and Southern Taurids produce about five meteors per hour under ideal conditions. Viewers may see fewer meteors in reality, making the shower a more subtle experience.

### [NASA Explores Potential Commercial Servicing for Hubble Telescope](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/nightly-news/2026-10-31/nasa-explores-potential-commercial-servicing-for-hubble-telescope)

Source: [NASA (all news)](https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasa-explores-potential-commercial-servicing-for-hubble-telescope/)

NASA issued a Request for Information to learn about industry capabilities for in-space servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. The request was issued on October 29 to explore potential commercial servicing options. NASA aims to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope, which still has important science ahead of it.

### [NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Captures Eerie Cat’s Head](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/nightly-news/2026-10-31/nasa-s-james-webb-space-telescope-captures-eerie-cat-s-head)

Source: [NASA (all news)](https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-captures-eerie-cats-head/)

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured the Cat's Head Nebula. The image, released on October 29, 2026, shows intricate structures within the nebula illuminated in mid-infrared view. The Cat's Head Nebula's shape was sculpted by intense ultraviolet radiation and winds from massive stars in the Carina Nebula.

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Updated: 2026-10-31T23:00:37.844Z