OCTOBER 2025
Our Galactic Neighbourhood
October is the month when the Local Group comes alive. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) rides high overhead, its companion Triangulum Galaxy (M33) not far behind, and faint irregular dwarfs like IC 1613 whisper of the hidden members that share our corner of the cosmos. These are our nearest neighbours — galaxies bound together with the Milky Way in a quiet gravitational dance.
In the south, the view is even more dramatic. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds sail across spring skies, each a galaxy in its own right. Embedded within the LMC lies the Tarantula Nebula, a furious storm of star birth so vast that it outshines most entire galaxies.
October reminds us that we are not alone in the night. Every clear evening carries a glimpse into our galactic neighbourhood, from the giants that mirror our Milky Way to the dwarfs that drift like companions in the dark.
The October Night Sky at a Glance
Northern Hemisphere Sky – Midnight at New Moon (at +30° latitude)
This is the October night sky as it appears around midnight from mid-northern latitudes. The great Andromeda Galaxy (M31) stands near the zenith, with the delicate spiral of M33 close by in Triangulum. For those seeking something more elusive, the faint irregular galaxy IC 1613 drifts in Cetus — a true Local Group member that rewards patient imaging under dark skies.
Image from the app Sky Guide
Southern Hemisphere Sky – Midnight at New Moon (at -30° latitude)
From the southern hemisphere, October’s midnight sky is dominated by our nearest galactic companions — the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Within the LMC lies the Tarantula Nebula, a vast storm of star formation blazing brightly against the backdrop of its parent galaxy. These southern treasures place the heart of the Local Group within easy reach, glowing high in the spring sky.
Image from the app Sky Guide
At midnight on the new Moon, these targets stand close to the meridian—their highest point in the sky. That makes them visible all night long and ideally positioned for imaging. The charts below give a general view of where to find them in the northern and southern skies.
Deep-Sky Targets in October
October brings the galaxies of our Local Group into perfect position. In the north, the great Andromeda Galaxy (M31)climbs high overhead, joined by the delicate spiral of M33 in Triangulum. For those seeking a challenge, the faint dwarf galaxy IC 1613 drifts in Cetus — a true neighbor of the Milky Way that rewards long exposures under dark skies.
In the south, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds dominate the spring sky, glowing as luminous companions to our galaxy. Within the LMC lies the Tarantula Nebula, a furious star-forming region so vast it outshines many entire galaxies.
Below, you’ll find a visual overview and key info for each target.
For full framing advice, exposure tips, and filtration suggestions, download this month’s Cosmic Astrophotography Planner (CAP) as a free PDF using the button below.
M31 – The Andromeda Galaxy
Constellation: Andromeda | Distance: ~2.5 million light-years | Apparent Size: ~3° × 1° | Apparent Magnitude: 3.4
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way — and the largest member of our Local Group. Spanning over 220,000 light-years across, it dwarfs our own galaxy and is visible to the naked eye under dark skies as a faint, elongated smudge. Through astrophotography, however, it transforms into a sprawling spiral, revealing star clouds, dust lanes, and its two companions, M32 and M110, which orbit nearby like satellites of a miniature galaxy system.
Long exposures showcase the galaxy’s delicate spiral arms and rich star fields, while careful processing can bring out subtle color contrasts — the warm central bulge against the cooler, younger star-forming regions in the arms.
Best for: Widefield imaging. A focal length of 200–400 mm frames the entire galaxy with its companions, while longer focal lengths highlight the intricate dust lanes and bright nucleus. For advanced imaging, adding H-alpha or even HSO narrowband data reveals glowing nebulae scattered across its spiral arms, bringing a unique and striking depth to the image.
Image by Cosmic Captures
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy
Constellation: Triangulum | Distance: ~2.7 million light-years | Apparent Size: ~1° × 0.5° | Apparent Magnitude: 5.7
The Triangulum Galaxy (M33) is the third-largest member of the Local Group, after Andromeda and the Milky Way. It sits at a slight tilt to our line of sight, giving us an almost direct look at its graceful spiral structure. Its loosely wound arms are sprinkled with star-forming regions, dust lanes, and bright knots of young stars that make it especially photogenic.
The showpiece is NGC 604, a colossal H II region more than 1,500 light-years across — vastly larger than the Orion Nebula in our own galaxy. With long, deep exposures, astrophotographers can also capture the faint glow of the integrated flux nebula (IFN) that drifts across this part of the sky, adding delicate cirrus-like structure around the galaxy.
Best for: Medium-wide focal lengths of 300–800 mm capture the full galaxy with striking detail, while longer focal lengths allow close-ups of NGC 604 and other nebulae. Broadband imaging highlights the spiral structure, but adding H-alpha or even HSO narrowband data reveals the rich network of emission nebulae scattered across the disk.
Image by Cosmic Captures
IC 1613 – Irregular Dwarf Galaxy
Constellation: Cetus | Distance: ~2.4 million light-years | Apparent Size: ~16′ × 14′ | Apparent Magnitude: 9.2
IC 1613 is a subtle but important member of the Local Group. Though listed at magnitude 9.2, its light is spread across a wide area, giving it a very low surface brightness. The result is a ghostly, diffuse galaxy that’s invisible visually in most amateur telescopes and challenging photographically.
For astrophotographers, the difficulty lies in both its faintness and size. Widefield lenses show little more than a dim smudge, while longer focal lengths reveal its irregular structure but demand long integrations under dark skies to overcome noise. Within the haze, small H II regions can be highlighted by adding H-alpha data, offering glimpses of active star formation in this humble dwarf galaxy.
Best for: Longer focal lengths of 600–1,000 mm or more, paired with deep integration. Broadband captures its diffuse glow, but combining with H-alpha brings out faint knots of nebulae that otherwise vanish into the background.
Telescope.live image data edited by Cosmic Captures
LMC – Large Magellanic Cloud
Constellation: Dorado / Mensa | Distance: ~160,000 light-years | Apparent Size: ~10° × 8° | Apparent Magnitude:~0.9
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the most prominent of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies and one of the brightest members of the Local Group. Spanning more than ten degrees of sky, it is so large that it cannot be fully appreciated through a telescope — instead, it is best captured with widefield lenses that show its irregular shape and mottled structure.
The LMC is a treasure chest of nebulae, star clusters, and supernova remnants, each of which could be an astrophotography target in its own right. The most famous is the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070), but dozens of smaller emission regions and globular clusters lie scattered across the galaxy’s disk. Deep exposures also reveal its patchy dust lanes and glowing star-forming regions, hinting at its ongoing interaction with the Milky Way and the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Best for: Widefield imaging. Focal lengths of 35–135 mm capture the full galaxy and its surrounding star fields. At 200–600 mm, astrophotographers can zoom into specific nebulae, clusters, or star-forming regions such as the Tarantula. Broadband imaging shows its overall structure, while adding H-alpha or HSO narrowband data dramatically enhances the emission nebulae scattered across its disk.
Image by Cosmic Captures
NGC 2070 – The Tarantula Nebula
Constellation: Dorado (within the LMC) | Distance: ~160,000 light-years | Apparent Size: ~40′ × 25′ | Apparent Magnitude: ~8.0
The Tarantula Nebula is the crown jewel of the Large Magellanic Cloud — and one of the most extraordinary star-forming regions known. At over 1,000 light-years across, it dwarfs the Orion Nebula, blazing so brightly that if it were at Orion’s distance, it would cast visible shadows on Earth.
Its turbulent web of gas and dust is shaped by intense stellar winds and radiation from the R136 super star cluster at its core, where some of the most massive stars ever recorded are found. Surrounding the Tarantula are rich star fields, additional emission nebulae, and remnants of past supernova explosions, making the whole region a hub of cosmic activity.
Best for: Medium focal lengths of 200–600 mm beautifully frame the Tarantula within its LMC environment, while longer focal lengths (800 mm+) capture its intricate filaments in detail. Broadband imaging reveals its luminous glow, but it is especially spectacular in H-alpha or full HSO narrowband, where its chaotic structure comes alive in dramatic color.
Telescope.live image data edited by Cosmic Captures
SMC – Small Magellanic Cloud
Constellation: Tucana | Distance: ~200,000 light-years | Apparent Size: ~5° × 3° | Apparent Magnitude: ~2.7
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is a dwarf irregular galaxy and the smaller companion to the LMC. Despite its modest size compared to its sibling, the SMC still contains billions of stars, young star clusters, and glowing nebulae, all visible against a dense backdrop of the southern Milky Way. It is one of the nearest galaxies to the Milky Way and a key member of the Local Group.
Astrophotographers will find the SMC especially rewarding for widefield imaging. Its tilted orientation reveals subtle internal structure, with streams of stars and dust extending outward, hinting at its gravitational dance with both the LMC and the Milky Way. Among its many treasures is NGC 346, a vast star-forming region that rivals smaller nebulae in our own galaxy.
Best for: Widefield focal lengths of 35–135 mm capture the full SMC in context with the LMC and surrounding star fields. At 200–600 mm, the galaxy itself fills the frame with striking detail. Narrowband H-alpha blends can emphasise active star-forming knots like NGC 346, while broadband imaging highlights its irregular stellar population and dust lanes.
Telescope.live image data edited by Cosmic Captures
The main Moon Phases in October 2025
Planning your imaging sessions? The Moon plays a massive role in what we can capture.
Here’s what’s happening this month:
Full Moon
October 7
The Moon reaches full phase — known this year as the Harvest Moon, since it falls closest to the autumn equinox. This full moon is also a supermoon, appearing slightly larger and brighter than usual as it coincides with the Moon’s closest point to Earth in its orbit.
Last Quarter
October 13
Deep-sky imaging is best in the first half of the night before the Moon rises in the early morning hours.
New Moon
October 21
The darkest skies of the month arrive with the New Moon, ideal for deep-sky imaging.
First Quarter
October 29
Deep-sky imaging is best after midnight.
Also great for capturing lunar surface details with strong shadows along the terminator.
October 2025 MAP
(Moonlight Astrophotography Planner)
Each month, the MAP — or Moonlight Astrophotography Planner — helps you choose the best nights for capturing galaxies, nebulae, and nightscapes. Whether you’re shooting broadband or narrowband, MAP gives you clear guidance based on the Moon phase, so you can match your imaging plans to the sky conditions.
You can download this month’s MAP as a free PDF using the button below. It’s updated monthly to help you make the most of your imaging time, no matter your style or setup.
Orionid Meteor Shower – October 21
The Orionids peak on the night of October 21–22, producing up to 20 meteors per hour under ideal dark-sky conditions. The shower originates from dust left behind by Halley’s Comet, and the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Orion, which rises in the east around midnight.
The Orionids are known for their fast, bright meteors that often leave glowing trails. With the radiant well placed after midnight, the hours before dawn offer the best viewing. This year’s shower coincides with the New Moon, so darker skies will improve your chances of catching the show.
Orionid radiant @ 2 am over the eastern horizon at 30 degrees northern latitude (Sky Guide App)
Nightscape Opportunities
In the Northern Hemisphere, October offers a rare chance to capture both the summer and winter Milky Way arches in a single night. Early evenings still reveal the fading summer core sinking into the southwest, while later hours bring the rise of Orion, Taurus, and Gemini — with their bright nebulae and sparkling clusters. This overlap makes October especially rewarding for panoramas that bridge two seasons in one frame.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Milky Way remains vivid across the evening sky, but galaxy season gains momentum as constellations like Sculptor and Fornax rise higher. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds also climb into excellent position for widefield compositions, pairing beautifully with terrestrial landscapes.
October is a month of contrasts: one foot still in the glow of summer, the other stepping into the crisp skies of winter. Use the Moonlight Astrophotography Planner (MAP) to pinpoint your best moonless nights for widefield imaging.
Setting Summer Milky Way arch at 9 pm during the New Moon in October
Rising Winter Milky Way arch at 2 am during the New Moon in October
Comet Activity in October 2025
October is unusually rich in comet activity, with two objects standing out as potentially bright enough for binoculars or small telescopes:
C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
Peak visibility: Mid to late October, closest approach on Oct 21.
Brightness: May reach around magnitude 4–5, visible in binoculars under dark skies.
Notes: Well placed for northern observers, moving from morning into evening skies. A prime comet to try for both visual and photographic observation.
C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
Peak visibility: Around Oct 12–19, in the western sky after sunset.
Brightness: Estimated to reach magnitude 5–6, visible in binoculars and possibly to the naked eye in dark locations.
Notes: Its evening placement makes it convenient for observers in both hemispheres. Expect a faint tail in long-exposure images.
Other Comets of Interest
C/2025 K1 (ATLAS): Reaches perihelion on Oct 8 but may fragment due to its close solar pass. Worth monitoring, but unpredictable.
3I/ATLAS (Interstellar Comet): Passes perihelion Oct 29. Most likely more a scientific curiosity rather than a visual and photographic target.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in 2024