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Also at opposition this week, asteroid 2 Pallas is passing near a field star with similar brightness to the main-belt world itself.

Star chart of the constellation Cetus outlined in blue with labeled stars theta, eta, phi4, phi3, and tau, dated October 8, 2026, 11 P.M. EDT. The asteroid Pallas is marked as a small red dot near the center of the constellation among numerous pale yellow and white field stars. A compass arrow indicates north and east at upper left, and a 2 degree scale bar sits at lower right.

Pallas is located in central Cetus, easy to find with the help of several nearby bright stars. The asteroid is moving slowly southwest over time, at a rate of only a few arcminutes per night. Credit: Alison Klesman (via TheSkyX)

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. 

October 7: Titan passes north of Saturn

Asteroid 2 Pallas recently reached opposition in Cetus the Whale. Let’s track it tonight using binoculars or any size telescope. 

Although it’s highest around 1 A.M., Pallas is visible all night and has already reached an altitude of 20° by 10 P.M. local daylight time, standing above the southwestern horizon. While Saturn is in northern Cetus, Pallas is near the center of the constellation, about 5.4° southeast of magnitude 3.5 Eta (η) Ceti. Around 10 P.M., you can also use Saturn to find Pallas by simply dropping just a little less than 19° down from the naked-eye planet toward the horizon. 

Pallas glows at magnitude 8.3 and sits roughly ¼° northeast of a field star of roughly the same magnitude (8.2). It’s moving slowly, inching closer to the star over time and closing the gap by a few arcminutes over the course of the night. Using that star as a signpost, you may be able to notice its motion if you take a photo every few hours. If you come back tomorrow night, you’ll definitely notice a change: Pallas and the star have swapped positions, so that Pallas is now southwest of the field star and pulling away over time. 

Sunrise: 7:03 A.M.
Sunset: 6:31 P.M.
Moonrise: 4:53 A.M.
Moonset: 5:26 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (3%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location. 

Alison Klesman is senior editor of Astronomy magazine. She holds a Ph.D. in astronomy and has studied a variety of topics, from minor planets to supermassive black holes.