November Has 6 Major Night Sky Events Including the Brightest Supermoon of the Year, Shooting Stars, and Vivid Auroras

From the start of northern lights season to a handful of comets, autumn has been wonderful for North American stargazers. The enjoyable will proceed into November, with Comet Lemmon persevering with to shine after sundown early within the month. Control the aurora this November, too. The lights are anticipated to be exceptionally vivid this fall into winter; visit these aurora getaways to identify them.

That is all on high of myriad different interstellar marvels on the horizon, together with a number of meteor showers and a very vibrant moon. Right here’s what to look at for.

Nov. 1: Moon Nears Saturn and Neptune

The moon and Saturn will tango collectively by the night time sky Nov. 1-2, with Neptune (seen by telescope) hanging out alongside them. You may spot the 2 simply above the jap horizon at sundown. They’ll journey southward because the night time goes on, staying comparatively near the horizon.

Nov. 4-5: Southern Taurid Meteor Bathe Peaks

The southern Taurid meteor bathe peaks in a single day Nov. 4 to five, with the prime watch time hitting round midnight, according to stargazing app SkySafari. Sadly, this yr’s bathe additionally coincides with a vibrant full moon, so all however the brightest meteors will likely be obstructed. You may enhance your odds by looking ahead to the bathe’s signature fireballs from a dark-sky destination, resembling a national park.

Nov. 5: Full Supermoon

See the largest and brightest moon of the yr—the complete supermoon—on the night of Nov. 5. The moon will formally attain its fullest state at 8:19 a.m. ET, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. That mentioned, probably the most dramatic time to view it’s round moonrise, when it appears to be like exceptionally daring close to the horizon. The total moon often rises proper round sundown, however use the Almanac’s moonrise calculator to verify the timing on your space.

Nov. 9: Moon Meets Jupiter

Watch because the waning gibbous moon and Jupiter meet within the jap sky the night time of Nov. 9. The pair will soar above the horizon round 10 p.m. native time, and so they’ll climb greater within the southern sky because the night time continues. Look close to the pair to see two vibrant stars: Castor and Pollux, the 2 brightest stars within the Gemini constellation.

Nov. 16-17: Leonid Meteor Bathe

The Leonids, which originate from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, are identified to placed on an excellent present — particularly when the moon cooperates. This yr, the 9-percent-illuminated waning crescent moon gained’t rise till the morning. Meaning the Leonids can dazzle from Nov. 16 to Nov. 17 with upwards of 15 meteors per hour, according to EarthSky.org. You may look ahead to the capturing stars, and probably brighter-than-usual meteors, often known as fireballs, all throughout the night time sky. You could possibly see the capturing stars the next night time, too.

Nov. 24-25: Venus and Mercury Pair Up within the Morning

Watch the jap horizon for roughly an hour earlier than dawn on Nov. 24 and Nov. 25 to see Venus and Mercury seem roughly a thumb’s width from one another, in accordance with SkySafari. You’ll want clear views eastward to see the pair, as they gained’t journey far above the horizon earlier than the solar rises. A lake or a sunrise-view hill or mountaintop can be best.