Week of 19 to 25 October 2026
23 October to 22 November 2026
The Sun enters the sign on at . Until then, it finishes its passage through Libra.
Brightest star in the constellation: Antares
The papers say Libra, then Scorpio. Look up, and the Sun is standing in front of the stars of Virgo. Both statements are true; they simply aren’t talking about the same thing.
Past first quarter, it moves a little further east each evening, through the stars of Capricornus, Aquarius and Pisces, on its way to full moon.
Andreas Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, 1661, plate of the lunar phases (detail).
Two weeks after opposition on 4 October, Saturn rises around and doesn’t set until about . It lies outside the classical zodiac, in the constellation Cetus, just south of Pisces.
Mars rises around in the constellation Cancer, Jupiter around in Leo. At magnitude −2, Jupiter outshines every star in the night sky.
This meteor shower peaks every year around 21 October. The meteors are dust left behind by Halley’s Comet, hitting the atmosphere at about 66 km per second. On the night of 21 to 22 October the Moon sets around , so the last hours before dawn will be the darkest.
Read it for pleasure, not for prophecy.
Twelve short pieces, written for fun. They start from this week’s real sky and draw no conclusions whatsoever about your life: the stars decide nothing here.
Mars, your ruler by tradition, rises at around one in the morning. Red, slightly ahead of everyone, up while the rest are asleep: you may know the type. Wave if you happen to be awake. If not, it won’t take offence.
On paper, Monday’s full moon falls in your sign at in the morning. Not a Taurus hour. Admire it later over breakfast, with coffee, which remains the most sensible way to contemplate a celestial body.
Mercury stops on the 24th, then appears to reverse. Pure optical illusion: the Earth is simply overtaking it. Reread your messages before sending them anyway. Not out of superstition, out of style.
Mars is camping in your constellation, the real one, made of stars. A loud red visitor for the most retiring sign of all. Leave it on the doormat and watch it through the window at around three. Nobody will blame you.
Jupiter is crossing your stars and outshining every one of them. You find this perfectly normal. So, by now, do the other eleven signs. Enjoy the show before dawn; at that hour there isn’t even an audience to acknowledge.
The Sun is still in front of your stars, not the ones the papers mention. So you were right all along, as usual. Keep it to yourself: a Virgo who is quietly right still gets invited.
On Friday at , the Sun leaves your sign. It will be back next year, on more or less the same day. Hand over the keys gracefully, take a last look round and leave Scorpio a kind note on the table.
Your season opens late on Friday morning. In the real sky, the Sun won’t reach your stars until 23 November, and then for less than a week. You know how to wait. Rumour has it that’s your speciality.
The Orionids streak in at 66 km per second. An archer can appreciate a well-loosed shot. Wait for the Moon to set, around half past three on Wednesday night, and count: it’s the only bet worth placing this week.
The Moon crosses the stars of Capricornus on Monday and Tuesday evening, then moves on. Arrive, take stock, leave without a fuss: you’ll recognise the method. It’s yours.
Saturn, your ancient ruler, is visible all night. Yet it has wandered out of the zodiac into the constellation Cetus. A god of time colouring outside the lines: you could hardly ask for a better role model.
The Moon grows rounder in your stars on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you plan to sleep, draw the curtains. If you plan to dream, leave them open. It won’t change the sky. It might change your morning.
The astrologers’ zodiac divides the Sun’s apparent path into twelve equal parts of 30 degrees, counted from the vernal point, where the Sun stands at the March equinox. Constellations, by contrast, are groups of stars of very unequal size.
A little over two thousand years ago, the two systems roughly matched. Since then the Earth’s axis has slowly wobbled, like a spinning top that is running down. This motion, the precession of the equinoxes, shifts the vernal point by about one degree every 72 years. The Greek astronomer Hipparchus was the first to describe it, in the 2nd century BC.
The International Astronomical Union publishes the boundaries of the 88 constellations, drawn by the Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the observatory in Uccle.
With these official boundaries, the Sun passes through thirteen constellations over the year, including Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, from late November to mid-December. The signs have stayed at twelve. This site keeps both: the sign for tradition and pleasure, the constellation for what you can actually see.
