Mississippi can watch meteor showers, October full moon: What to know

The National Weather Service predicts that most of Mississippi can expect clear or mostly clear skies on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The annual portion of the Southern Taurids meteor shower will peak this week, and a second peak with a fireball swarm will take place Nov.

4-5. Courtesy NOAA and NWS USA TODAY Network, Reuters Ready to spend some time in the crisp fall night air? October offers several chances to see meteors streak overhead in Mississippi, including the peak of the Southern Taurids this week, before the full moon rises later this month.

Depending on local weather, the best night to see ongoing meteor showers could be Wednesday, Oct. 14. The dark skies will let the first peak of the Southern Taurids shine.

But don't forget the Hunter's Moon, or Hunter Moon, set to rise near the end of the month. It could be a great time for some nighttime fall photos during spooky season. When can I see meteor showers in Mississippi this October?

Dark, clear nights are best for stargazing, so the best nights for viewing this month will likely be before Oct. 18, with conditions gradually improving after Nov. 1.

The best times are after midnight, in an area far from light pollution. But even if you don't have ideal viewing conditions, you could still see a few fireballs and meteors this month. When do the Southern Taurids peak in October 2026?

The Southern Taurids have been active since late September and will be visible through Nov. 20, according to the American Meteor Society. This shower has two main components.

The annual portion will peak on Oct. 14. The evening will be mostly moonless, with moonset at 8:51 p.m. and the next moonrise the next day.

That could be a great dark-sky night for stargazing, depending on local cloud cover. National Weather Service forecasts call for clear skies across the state, with mostly clear conditions around the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Meteors could show up anywhere, so you don't have to watch a particular area of the sky.

According to Live Science, these meteors hit the Earth's atmosphere at a slower pace, so they are visible longer and can have a glowing trail. A fireball swarm will peak on Nov. 4-5.

Those should also be relatively dark nights that fall between the last quarter moon and a new moon. This is a fireball-heavy meteor shower, so you could still see some shooting stars on non-peak evenings. The Northern Taurids, per the American Meteor Society, will start Oct.

20 and run through Dec. 10. They'll peak in mid-November.

When is the Orionid meteor shower peak in Mississippi? According to the American Meteor Society, the Orionids started around Oct. 2 and will be visible through about Nov.

7. This celestial show is tied to the dust cloud left by Halley's Comet. We won't see the famous shooting star again until 2061.

In an average year, the shower can produce about 10-20 meteors hourly, but in strong years it can rival the Perseids with 50-75 per hour at its peak, AMS said. NASA says the shower will peak Oct. 21-22.

The moon will look about 81% to 89% full on those nights. Trying on darker nights might give clearer views, though there will be fewer meteors to see. The radiant, where it appears the meteors come from, will be near the constellation Orion.

But NASA says to look 45 to 90 degrees away from the constellation so the meteors will look "longer and more spectacular." Looking at them directly near the radiant can make them seem short because of a perspective effect called foreshortening. When is the October full moon in Mississippi?

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, is when the full Hunter's Moon will appear. According to timeanddate.com, the peak will be at 11:11 p.m. in Mississippi.

Moonrise in the Jackson area will occur around 5:47 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25.

It will set at 7:45 a.m. Monday, according to timeanddate.com. The moon will look full on the nights of Oct.

24-27. Why is it called the Hunter's Moon? October's full moon is frequently called the Hunter's Moon.

In some years, the October full moon pulls double duty. The Harvest Moon is the one closest to the autumnal equinox. In 2025, it was in October, but it fell in September this year.

According to Old Farmer's Almanac, the name Hunter's Moon comes from the time "to hunt, preserve meat, and lay in a store of provisions" for the winter months that are coming soon. What are other names for October's full moon? According to Old Farmer's Almanac, other Native American tribes' names for the October full moon include: Drying Rice Moon (Dakota) Migrating Moon (Cree) Falling Leaves Moon (Anishinaabe) Freezing or Ice Moon (Ojibwe and Haida) What are the names of the 2026 full moons?

Other popular nicknames for monthly full moons, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, include: Wolf Moon (January) Snow Moon (February) Worm Moon (March) Pink Moon (April) Flower Moon (May) Strawberry Moon (June) Sturgeon Moon (August) Corn Moon (September) Hunter Moon (October) Beaver Moon (November) Cold Moon (December) What will the moon look like on Halloween 2026?

This year, the full moon will be waning gibbous and about 65.8% illuminated on Halloween, according to timeanddate.com. When is the next Halloween full moon? A full moon on Oct.

31 is relatively rare. According to NASA, all Halloween full moons are a blue moon, or a Boo Moon. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, it happens about every 18-19 years.

The last one was in 2020. The next one will be in 2039. What are the upcoming moon phases?

The moon's next phases in October and November are: First Quarter: Oct. 18 Full Moon: Oct. 25 Last Quarter: Nov.

1 New Moon: Nov. 9 Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge and John Tufts Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi can watch meteor showers, October full moon: What to know Reporting by Bonnie Bolden, Mississippi Clarion Ledger / Mississippi Clarion Ledger USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Copyright Reuters or USA Today via Reuters Connect This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 12:16 PM .