What’s Up in Denver? September 28th through October 4th, 2026

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Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

September 28:

E-Board Meeting. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Bill Bradford
E-Board Meeting. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Bill Bradford
  • DAS E-Board Meeting: Virtual meeting via Zoom (find details on Slack or Membership email): 7:00 PM

September 29:

NCAS Star Party
NCAS Star Party

September 30:

60 Minutes in Space
60 Minutes in Space

October 1:

Standley Lake Stargazing
Standley Lake Stargazing

October 2:

Standley Lake Stargazing: Haunted History Hike
Standley Lake Stargazing: Haunted History Hike

October 3:

Colorado Springs Astronomical Society
Colorado Springs Astronomical Society

October 4:

The Moon and Pollux
The Moon and Pollux

This Week’s Solar System Summary:

  • The Sun shifts from rising about 6:53 AM to 6:59 AM, while sunset moves from 6:47 PM to 6:39 PM, continuing the steady loss of daylight as we move into October.
  • The Moon rises in the evening at the start of the week and shifts toward the late evening and early morning hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from late morning toward the afternoon.
  • Mercury remains too close to the Sun to be easily observed this week. It will begin a better evening apparition later in October, but it remains lost in the twilight for now.
  • Venus remains very low in the western sky after sunset and is becoming increasingly difficult to see. It is approaching its October 24 inferior conjunction and will soon disappear from the evening sky.
  • Mars is a morning planet, rising during the early morning hours and visible in the eastern sky before sunrise. It remains relatively faint but will gradually become more prominent over the coming months.
  • Jupiter is also a morning planet, rising during the early morning hours and becoming increasingly prominent before sunrise. It is considerably brighter than Mars and should be easy to spot with a clear eastern horizon.
  • Saturn is visible throughout the night and reaches opposition on October 4, making this an excellent week to observe the planet and its rings. Saturn rises around sunset, reaches its highest point around midnight, and sets near sunrise.
  • Uranus rises during the evening and remains visible through most of the night. It is well placed for binocular or telescope observing under dark skies.
  • Neptune is visible during the evening and much of the night following its opposition on September 26. A telescope is needed to see the distant planet clearly.

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

  • Southern Taurids (STA): 1:00 AM in southeastern Pisces: About 2 per hour
  • Orionids (ORI): 5:00 AM in Orion: Less than 1 per hour. Activity begins October 2

Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:

Sky Map

Clear skies and happy stargazing!