Staring at the night sky can make your head spin. It’s massive, mysterious, and kind of humbling. You glance up and start to wonder—what’s really out there? That curiosity is what’s driven some of humanity’s greatest space missions.
And even though the spacecraft we’ve launched are light-years ahead of us—literally—we can still track them. This October, the sky holds clues to the current locations of some of the most iconic space explorers: the James Webb Space Telescope, the Parker Solar Probe, Voyager 1, Juno, and New Horizons.
Table of Contents
Webb
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is one of the most powerful scientific instruments ever created. It looks so far into the universe that it captures ancient light—stuff that’s been traveling across space for billions of years. In other words, it’s like peeking into a cosmic time machine, watching the birth of galaxies.
So, how do you “find” Webb in the sky this month? Start by spotting Aldebaran, the reddish star in the Taurus constellation. It’s above Orion, the hunter. If you move your gaze a bit higher, you’ll spot the Pleiades—a sparkling cluster that looks like a handful of glitter tossed on black velvet. Webb is about five degrees below the Pleiades, slowly drifting toward Aldebaran as the month goes on.
No, you won’t see it with your eyes. But if you’ve got a powerful telescope, you can look in the direction where it silently observes the birth of stars.
Parker
The Parker Solar Probe is on a mission that sounds straight out of science fiction—it flew into the Sun’s atmosphere. In 2021, it passed through the solar corona, studying the intense solar wind and magnetic chaos that sometimes even disrupts tech on Earth.
Right now, Parker is about 147 million kilometers away. If you want to locate it (or at least imagine where it is), look low in the southwestern sky near sunset. It’s sitting near Antares, the heart of the Scorpius constellation. Just picture it skimming past the Sun, collecting data in one of the most dangerous spots in space.
Juno
Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, helping us understand the gas giant’s swirling clouds, powerful storms, and mysterious magnetic field. It’s also been giving us close-up looks at Jupiter’s moons, some of which might even have underground oceans.
Right now, Juno is around 748 million kilometers away. To find it, look toward the constellation Gemini. The two bright stars Castor and Pollux are easy to spot. Just before sunrise, you’ll see a super bright point in the sky—it’s Jupiter. And right there, in orbit around it, is Juno.
Horizons
New Horizons was the first mission to explore Pluto up close back in 2015. What we learned from it changed how we see the dwarf planet—and the outer edges of our solar system. But New Horizons didn’t stop there. It kept going into the Kuiper Belt and even flew past a mysterious object named Arrokoth in 2019.
Today, New Horizons is over 9.4 billion kilometers from Earth, sailing quietly through the edge of our solar neighborhood. If you want to imagine where it is, look at the Sagittarius constellation. It’s the one that looks like a teapot. New Horizons is just above the handle, near the star Pi Sagittarii.
Voyager
Launched way back in 1977, Voyager 1 is the ultimate legend of space travel. It’s the most distant human-made object ever and officially entered interstellar space in 2012. It’s still communicating with Earth and still carrying the famous Golden Record—a time capsule of sounds, greetings, and images from Earth, just in case someone (or something) finds it.
As of now, Voyager 1 is more than 25 billion kilometers from us. You’ll find its place in the sky in the constellation Ophiuchus, above the western horizon shortly after sunset.
Here’s a quick reference guide:
| Spacecraft | Current Distance | Sky Location (October) |
|---|---|---|
| James Webb (JWST) | ~1.5 million km | Below the Pleiades, near Taurus |
| Parker Solar Probe | ~147 million km | Near Antares, constellation Scorpius |
| Juno | ~748 million km | Near Jupiter, between Castor & Pollux |
| New Horizons | ~9.4 billion km | Above the handle of Sagittarius |
| Voyager 1 | ~25 billion km | In Ophiuchus, western horizon |
These spacecraft are way beyond what we can see without high-tech equipment, but their journeys are deeply connected to ours. Knowing where they are reminds us that human curiosity has taken us far beyond our little blue planet.
Even though we may never spot them with our own eyes, they’re out there—still sending data, still pushing boundaries. And maybe that’s the most beautiful part of it all. They’re proof that the sky isn’t the limit—it’s just the beginning.
FAQs
Can I see James Webb from Earth?
Not with the naked eye, but you can spot its location with a telescope.
Where is Voyager 1 now?
In the constellation Ophiuchus, over 25 billion km away.
Which star is near Juno?
Jupiter—it orbits there, visible near Gemini before sunrise.
How close is Parker Solar Probe?
About 147 million km from Earth, near Scorpius.
Is New Horizons still active?
Yes, it’s traveling through the Kuiper Belt past Pluto.
