Night Sky
Astronomy for the Space Coast: what's up tonight over Brevard, meteor showers, eclipses, planets and those strange lights over the Cape. Real data, with every source linked.
Times are Eastern for Melbourne/Cocoa (28.2°N, 80.65°W). It's astronomy, not astrology. Tonight means the night of Fri, Oct 23, 2026.
Something big happening?
Nothing unusual is expected in the next few days. Aurora: NOAA's highest Kp forecast is 3.67, far below the Kp 8 storm usually needed this far south. Next highlight: Southern Taurids, Thu, Nov 5, 2026 (in 12 days).
Tonight over Brevard
Twilight Fully dark Above the horizon
Sun and twilight
- Sunset
- 6:45 p.m. EDT
- Civil twilight ends
- 7:09 p.m. EDT
- Nautical twilight ends
- 7:37 p.m. EDT
- Fully dark (astronomical)
- 8:04 p.m. EDT
- Dark sky ends
- 6:09 a.m. EDT
- Nautical twilight begins
- 6:37 a.m. EDT
- Civil twilight begins
- 7:05 a.m. EDT
- Sunrise
- 7:29 a.m. EDT
Sunset, sunrise and civil twilight: U.S. Naval Observatory. Nautical and astronomical twilight computed by us with standard solar formulas.
Moon
Waxing Gibbous
About 95% lit tonight
Moonrise 5:06 p.m. EDT
Moonset 5:48 a.m. EDT
Full Moon: Mon, Oct 26, 12:12 a.m. EDT
Last Quarter: Sun, Nov 1, 3:28 p.m. EST
New Moon: Mon, Nov 9, 2:02 a.m. EST
First Quarter: Tue, Nov 17, 6:48 a.m. EST
Source: U.S. Naval Observatory
Viewing conditions
Mostly clear · 20% cloud cover
Overnight: Mostly Clear.
Source: National Weather Service Melbourne (gridpoint forecast), updated Sat, Oct 24 3:14 a.m. EDT. Moonlight: 95% lit, which washes out faint stars and meteors.
Planets tonight
| Planet | Brightness (mag) | Rises | Sets | When to look | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 0.5 | 9:06 a.m. EDT | 7:39 p.m. EDT | Evening until 7:10 p.m. | Highest 5° up in the WSW around 7:10 p.m.. Very low in twilight, so you need a clear horizon and binoculars help |
| Venus | -4.2 | 7:31 a.m. EDT | 6:21 p.m. EDT | Too close to the Sun | – |
| Mars | 1.0 | 1:39 a.m. EDT | 3:05 p.m. EDT | From 2:10 a.m. until dawn | Highest 69° up in the ESE around 7:00 a.m.; starts ENE |
| Jupiter | -2.0 | 2:21 a.m. EDT | 3:31 p.m. EDT | From 2:50 a.m. until dawn | Highest 62° up in the ESE around 7:10 a.m.; starts ENE |
| Saturn | 0.4 | 5:48 p.m. EDT | 5:57 a.m. EDT | Evening until 5:30 a.m. | Highest 63° up in the S around 11:50 p.m.; starts E |
Source: NASA/JPL Horizons ephemerides for Melbourne, with refraction.
Meteor showers
Southern Taurids
Peak Thu, Nov 5, 2026 · up to 7 an hour (ZHR)
Radiant in Taurus: rises in the east in the evening, high in the south around midnight. Low rates, but the Taurids are known for slow, bright fireballs (IMO).
Source: International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar 2026 (Table 5)
Active right now: Southern Taurids (peak Thu, Nov 5, fireball-rich), Northern Taurids (peak Thu, Nov 12, fireball-rich).
| Peak | Shower | Rate (ZHR) | Moon at peak | Where to look | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 5, 2026 | Southern Taurids fireballs major | 7 | 16% | Radiant in Taurus: rises in the east in the evening, high in the south around midnight. | Sep 20 – Nov 20 |
| Thu, Nov 12, 2026 | Northern Taurids fireballs | 5 | 9% | Radiant in Taurus, east in the evening, high around midnight. | Oct 20 – Dec 10 |
| Tue, Nov 17, 2026 | Leonids major | 15 | 49% | Radiant in Leo rises in the east after midnight; best in the hours before dawn. | Nov 6 – 30 |
| Mon, Dec 14, 2026 | Geminids major | 150 | 23% | Radiant in Gemini, east by mid-evening, almost overhead around 2 a.m. Look anywhere overhead. | Dec 4 – 20 |
| Tue, Dec 22, 2026 | Ursids | 10 | 95% | Radiant near the Little Dipper, low in the north from Florida; best before dawn. | Dec 17 – 26 |
| Mon, Jan 4, 2027 | Quadrantids major | 80+ | 11% | Radiant in northern Bootes, low in the northeast before dawn. | Dec 28 – Jan 12 |
| Fri, Apr 23, 2027 | April Lyrids major | 18 | 94% | Radiant near Vega, rises in the northeast late evening; best after midnight. | Apr 14 – 30 |
| Thu, May 6, 2027 | Eta Aquariids major | 50 | 0% | Radiant in Aquarius rises in the east about two hours before dawn. | Apr 19 – May 28 |
| Sat, Jul 31, 2027 | Alpha Capricornids fireballs | 5 | 7% | Radiant in Capricornus, southeast in the evening, south around midnight. | Jul 3 – Aug 15 |
| Sat, Jul 31, 2027 | Southern Delta Aquariids major | 25 | 7% | Radiant in Aquarius, low in the south-southeast; best from about 1 a.m. to dawn. | Jul 12 – Aug 23 |
| Fri, Aug 13, 2027 | Perseids major | 110+ | 86% | Radiant in Perseus, northeast after midnight; best before dawn. | Jul 17 – Aug 24 |
| Sat, Oct 9, 2027 | Draconids | 5 (variable) | 66% | Radiant in Draco, northwest in the early evening. | Oct 6 – 10 |
| Fri, Oct 22, 2027 | Orionids major | 20 | 56% | Radiant near Orion's club, east after midnight, high before dawn. | Oct 2 – Nov 7 |
Source: IMO 2026 calendar and IMO 2027 calendar (International Meteor Organization), plus the IMO calendar page. Moon % calculated by us. Tip: lie back, face away from city lights and give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust.
Could we see it?
Night or twilight launches
- When
- None with a firm time in the next 7 days
- Where to look
- Toward the Cape, east to northeast
- How visible
- Nothing visible expected from our current schedule.
Source: our launch schedule (Launch Library 2, updated Sat, Oct 24 4:37 a.m. EDT). Times move often; check the launch page.
Space station (ISS) passes
- When
- Several times a week, near dusk or dawn
- Where to look
- Pass details give where it rises and sets
- How visible
- Naked eye: a steady, bright "star" crossing in a few minutes, with no blinking.
We can't compute passes ourselves, and NASA has no public pass API, so use NASA Spot the Station (search for Melbourne, Florida, or use the app) or Heavens-Above for Melbourne.
Satellite and rocket-stage reentries
- When
- Predictions are usually uncertain by hours until the last day
- Where to look
- Only matters if the predicted window and ground track cross Florida at night
- How visible
- Rare. A fragmenting reentry looks like a slow, multi-piece fireball.
Aerospace Corp's reentry predictions list each object's window and uncertainty. Their site blocks automated reading, so we don't list items here and nothing over Florida is flagged.
Comet 2P/Encke
- When
- Predicted peak around Wed, Feb 10, 2027
- Where to look
- About 9° from the Sun then, in the morning (east before dawn) sky, which is too close to the Sun for most viewers
- How visible
- Binoculars or a small telescope (predicted peak magnitude 8.8). Realistically very hard to see
Source: COBS comet database (predicted brightness); Sun distance from JPL Horizons. Comet brightness predictions are often wrong.
Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova
- When
- Predicted peak around Tue, Aug 31, 2027
- Where to look
- About 31° from the Sun then, in the morning (east before dawn) sky
- How visible
- Binoculars or a small telescope (predicted peak magnitude 8.5)
Source: COBS comet database (predicted brightness); Sun distance from JPL Horizons. Comet brightness predictions are often wrong.
Close asteroid flybys
- When
- 32 small asteroids pass within 0.05 AU in the next 60 days
- Where to look
- –
- How visible
- Nothing visible expected: none gets brighter than magnitude 13, about the limit of a good backyard telescope. Closest: (2025 UK9) on Fri, Oct 30 at 0.8 times the Moon's distance, too faint to see.
Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS, with brightness checked in JPL Horizons.
Northern lights (aurora)
- When
- Highest forecast: Kp 3.67, Sat, Oct 24 2:00 a.m. EDT
- Where to look
- Low in the north, away from lights
- How visible
- Nothing visible expected. Florida usually needs a severe storm (Kp 8 or more).
Source: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, fetched Sat, Oct 24 4:11 a.m. EDT. About the G scale.
Coming up in the next 12 months
| Date | Event | From Brevard? | Where to look | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 20, 2026 | Mercury at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the east-southeast about 45 minutes before sunrise. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2026; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Tue, Nov 24, 2026, 9:53 a.m. EST | Full Moon, close to Earth | naked eye | Rises in the east-northeast around sunset. | USNO moon phases; distance from JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Nov 25, 2026 | Uranus at opposition | binoculars (magnitude 5.6) | Up all night, highest around midnight. You need a star chart or app to find it. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2026; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Dec 23, 2026, 8:28 p.m. EST | Closest full Moon of the year ("supermoon") | naked eye | Rises in the east-northeast around sunset. | USNO moon phases; distance from JPL Horizons |
| Sun, Jan 3, 2027 | Venus at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye (magnitude -4.5) | The brilliant "morning star" in the southeast before dawn. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Fri, Jan 22, 2027, 7:17 a.m. EST | Full Moon, close to Earth | naked eye | Sets in the west-northwest at dawn on Jan 22; rises at sunset that evening. | USNO moon phases; distance from JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Feb 3, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (evening) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the west-southwest about 45 minutes after sunset. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sat, Feb 6, 2027 | Annular solar eclipse | Not visible | – | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak |
| Wed, Feb 10, 2027 | Jupiter at opposition | naked eye (magnitude -2.6); binoculars show its moons | Rises in the east at sunset, high in the south around midnight, in Leo. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Fri, Feb 19, 2027 | Mars at opposition | naked eye (magnitude -1.3) | Bright orange "star" rising in the east at sunset, highest around midnight, in Leo near Jupiter. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sat, Feb 20, 2027, greatest eclipse 6:14 p.m. EST | Penumbral lunar eclipse | naked eye (subtle shading) | The Moon is just rising in the east at greatest eclipse (JPL Horizons: altitude about 0° at 6:14 p.m., about 15° by 7:30 p.m.). | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak; Moon altitude from JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Mar 17, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the east before sunrise. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Fri, May 7, 2027 | Venus and Saturn close together | naked eye; great in binoculars | Low in the east before dawn on May 7 and 8. | Computed with NASA/JPL Horizons |
| Fri, May 28, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (evening) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the west-northwest after sunset. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Thu, Jul 15, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the east-northeast before sunrise. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sun, Jul 18, 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | Not visible | – | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak |
| Mon, Aug 2, 2027 | Total solar eclipse | Not visible | – | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak |
| Tue, Aug 17, 2027, greatest eclipse 3:15 a.m. EDT | Penumbral lunar eclipse | naked eye (subtle shading) | The Moon is about 41° up in the southwest (JPL Horizons). | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak; Moon altitude from JPL Horizons |
| Fri, Sep 24, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (evening) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the west after sunset. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sun, Oct 17, 2027 | Saturn at opposition | naked eye (magnitude 0.1); rings need a small telescope | Rises in the east at sunset, south around midnight. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
Strange lights in the sky? What you're probably seeing
A glowing "jellyfish" over the Cape
A rocket launched about 30 minutes to 2 hours before sunrise or after sunset. You're in the dark, but the exhaust plume 50+ miles up is still in sunlight, so it spreads into a glowing, ghostly cloud. It's the Space Coast's most-reported "UFO."
No twilight launch with a firm time is on our schedule in the next 7 days. See the launch schedule.
A line of moving "stars"
A Starlink satellite train: SpaceX satellites shortly after launch, still bunched in a row and catching sunlight. They're best a few days after a Starlink launch, around dusk or dawn, and fade as they climb to higher orbits.
Check Find Starlink for visible passes.
One steady, bright light crossing fast
Probably the International Space Station. It has no blinking lights, never changes direction and crosses in 2 to 6 minutes. It's often brighter than any star.
A brilliant streak, maybe green or orange
A fireball: a meteor brighter than Venus, from a pebble- to rock-sized bit of space debris burning up 50 to 75 miles up. They last a few seconds. The Taurids (late October into November) are known for them.
Saw one? Report it to the American Meteor Society, or browse the AMS fireball log and fireball FAQ. AMS doesn't offer a public feed we can reuse, so we link to its listings instead of copying reports.
A slow, crumbling fireball with many pieces
Likely a satellite or rocket-stage reentry. These move slower than meteors, break into a trail of glowing fragments and can last a minute or more.
Predictions: Aerospace Corp reentry list.
Red flashes above a distant thunderstorm
Possibly sprites, red bursts of light 30 to 55 miles up above strong storms, lasting a fraction of a second. Florida's summer storms offshore or over the Gulf are a good setup. Look just above a far-off storm on a dark night, and cameras catch them better than eyes do.
Where to see a darker sky in Brevard
Canaveral National Seashore (Playalinda Beach)
Dark ocean horizon to the east. Day-use only: gates close in the evening and the park closes for some launches. Check the NPS hours page before you go, and don't plan to stay after closing.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Very dark, but refuge roads, trails and boat ramps are open only from sunrise to sunset (USFWS), so it isn't a night-viewing spot. Only the Bair's Cove and Beacon 42 ramps allow night boat launching.
Sebastian Inlet State Park
One of the darkest beach spots in south Brevard. The North entrance is open 24 hours. The South entrance keeps 8 a.m. to sunset hours, with after-hours access only for registered campers or annual-pass holders with a permit (Florida State Parks). $8 per vehicle.
Viera Wetlands (Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands)
Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (Brevard County), so in fall and winter you can catch twilight and the evening planets before closing. No unauthorized vehicles on the berms: park in the lot and walk or bike.
Three Forks Conservation Area (Three Forks Marsh)
Wide-open marsh west of Palm Bay, far from city lights. St. Johns River Water Management District lands are open 24 hours unless posted otherwise (SJRWMD), with primitive camping only at designated sites. Watch for alligators, and check hunting-season notices.
Sources and how we use them
| Source | Used for | License or terms | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications API | Sun, Moon, phases | U.S. government work (public domain) | fetched Sat, Oct 24 4:11 a.m. EDT |
| NASA/JPL Horizons | Planets, comet and asteroid positions and brightness | Free public service; credit NASA/JPL-Caltech | fetched Sat, Oct 24 4:11 a.m. EDT |
| NASA/JPL CNEOS close-approach data (SBDB API) | Asteroid flybys | Free public service; credit NASA/JPL-Caltech | fetched Sat, Oct 24 4:11 a.m. EDT |
| NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center | Kp (aurora) forecast | U.S. government work (public domain) | fetched Sat, Oct 24 4:11 a.m. EDT |
| National Weather Service (api.weather.gov) | Cloud cover and rain chance tonight | U.S. government work (public domain) | fetched Sat, Oct 24 4:11 a.m. EDT |
| COBS Comet Observation database | Comet brightness predictions | Facts used with credit and a link | fetched Sat, Oct 24 4:11 a.m. EDT |
| International Meteor Organization calendars 2026 and 2027 | Meteor shower dates and rates | © IMO; facts used with credit and a link | checked Oct 24, 2026 |
| NASA GSFC eclipse predictions (Fred Espenak) | Eclipses | NASA; credit "Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC" | checked Oct 24, 2026 |
| Hong Kong Observatory planetary phenomena 2026 and 2027 | Planet opposition and elongation dates (cross-checked with JPL Horizons) | © HKO; facts used with credit and a link | checked Oct 24, 2026 |
| The Space Devs, Launch Library 2 | Launch times (the site's existing feed) | Free tier, with credit | updated Sat, Oct 24 4:37 a.m. EDT |