The October night skies have a few tricks and treats in store for stargazers over the coming weeks.

The giant planets Jupiter and Saturn will shine brightly this month, starting each evening in the southeast portion of the sky and then moving slowly westward as the night unfolds, according to NASA.

If you look carefully, you’ll see that Jupiter and Saturn form a triangle with another star below them — that’s Fomalhaut, part of the “Southern Fish” constellation and one of the brightest stars in our night sky. When observing these three celestial objects, notice how Jupiter and Saturn shine steadily, while Fomalhaut twinkles — an easy way to know if what you’re looking at is a planet or a star, NASA says.

Another treat this month is the annual Orionids meteor shower — considered to be one of the most beautiful meteor showers of the year — will grace the night with shooting stars.

While not as well known as the summertime Perseids meteor shower, the Orionids are beloved for producing bright, fast meteors that streak across the sky and leave glowing light trails that can linger for several seconds up to minutes.

This year, the Orionids will peak on the night of Oct. 20, producing 10-20 meteors per hour under clear skies. But there will still be meteors streaking overhead in the weeks before and after the shower’s peak, gradually building and then dwindling in intensity.

This month’s Full Moon, also known as the Hunter’s Moon, will reach its peak on Sunday, October 9. Look for it low over the horizon around sunset, where it may appear much larger and more orange — a trick played by our brains known as the “Moon illusion,” and a suitably spooky effect for the month of October.

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