Halloween 2026 Skywatching: Saturn, Taurids and Tiangong Pass

Skywatchers in parts of the northeastern United States may see China’s Tiangong space station near 7 p.m. EDT on Halloween, October 31, 2026, weather permitting. Saturn will also be visible in the east-southeast around 7 p.m. local time, while early Taurid meteors may appear.

Key details

• Tiangong’s Tianhe core module is forecast to follow a ground track from Chicago toward New York at an altitude of about 385 kilometers.
• Saturn’s rings are expected to appear nearly edge-on, with the south face tilted about 6.5 degrees toward Earth.
• The Taurids reach their strongest activity in the second week of November, though early meteors may be visible on Halloween.
• The forecast calls for mostly clear or partly cloudy skies in parts of the Northeast, Great Plains, Rockies, Pacific Northwest and Florida. Rain is possible from parts of Iowa and Nebraska toward the Gulf Coast.
• Tianhe-1, Tiangong’s first module, launched on April 29, 2021.

The Tiangong station’s Tianhe core module is forecast to pass near 7 p.m. EDT on a Chicago-to-New York ground track.

Why it matters

The predicted pass gives viewers in parts of the Northeast a chance to look for an orbiting space station alongside familiar planets and seasonal meteors. The forecast also gives skywatchers across several US regions a range of potential viewing targets, depending on local cloud cover.

What happens next

The evening offers several targets to watch, from Saturn to a possible station pass and early Taurid meteors. Which one will you look for first?