Meteor shower October Capricornids — observing times and guide
October Capricornids visibility on 2026-10-16
October Capricornids rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
Moonrise, 18% illuminated  | 10:26 | -21° |
| October Capricornids radiant rise | 12:13 | |
| Sunset | 16:29 | 40° |
| Civil sunset | 16:56 | 42° |
| Twilight start (−12°) | 17:27 | 43° |
| October Capricornids radiant transit | 17:41 | 43° |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 17:57 | 42° |
| Moonset | 19:34 | 36° |
| October Capricornids radiant set | 23:09 | |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 03:50 | -53° |
Track October Capricornids position throughout the night
← 16 October 2026 →
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Moon conditions for October Capricornids — 2026
Meteor visibility depends strongly on the Moon’s position and brightness. This chart helps identify darker observing periods.
Blue and white show night and day; red marks when the radiant is above the horizon, the white line its transit, and grey when the Moon is above the horizon. Select a date for detailed Sun and Moon times.
Observing the October Capricornids
Radiant position:
- Right Ascension: 20h 12m 00s"
- Declination: -10° 00' 00s
Peak activity: Active from October 2 to October 4; with peak activity around October 3.
Associated parent body: October Capricornids is produced by debris associated with D/1978 R1 (Haneda-Campos). Earth encounters this stream along its orbit.
October Capricornids — Observation history
Previous activity records show the reported start, peak and end dates. Exact dates may shift slightly from year to year.
| Year | Start date | Peak date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | - | October 2 | - |
| 1989 | - | October 17 | - |
| 1994 | - | October 3 | - |
Use these dates as a historical guide and check current predictions near the event.
Data Credits
Meteor data are provided by the International Astronomical Union Meteor Data Center . We thank the observers and researchers who contribute these records.