November’s night sky will offer stargazers three meteor showers, a string of bright planets, a dark new moon and a Beaver supermoon, giving skywatchers plenty of reasons to look up before winter cold sets in. The month’s events range from the Southern Taurids on Nov. 5 to the full Beaver Moon on Nov. 24, with the Leonids expected to be the most prominent meteor shower of the month.
The Leonids peak overnight Nov. 17-18 and are considered one of the fastest and most colorful showers of the year. NASA says observers can expect about 3 to 15 meteors per hour. The shower’s radiant is the constellation Leo, and it will be visible in the eastern sky after midnight. Jupiter and Mars will also be in conjunction near Leo that night, just above Regulus, one of the brightest stars in the sky. The Leonids come from debris left by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 33 years and has produced meteor storms of more than 1,000 meteors per hour when it passes near Earth. The last such storm was in 2002.
The Taurids appear in two parts of the sky and are both linked to debris from comet Encke, which orbits the sun every three years. The Southern Taurids run from Sept. 23 to Dec. 8 and peak on the evening of Nov. 5. The Northern Taurids run from Oct. 13 to Dec. 2 and peak on the evening of Nov. 12. Both showers originate from the constellation Taurus.
A new moon on Nov. 9 will create a darker, clearer sky for stargazing. In the Northern Hemisphere, skywatchers can look for the constellations Andromeda and Cetus, weather permitting. The month ends with the Beaver Moon on Nov. 24. The name traditionally refers to the time of year when beavers take shelter in their lodges with food stored for winter, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. This year’s Beaver Moon is also a supermoon, meaning it will appear about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than an average moon, according to NASA.
Planet-watchers will have several opportunities as well. Throughout November, Jupiter and Mars will be paired in the southeastern morning sky as they cross in front of Leo. Venus will be visible lower in the sky, crossing near Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Later in the month, Mercury will appear beneath Virgo before dipping below the horizon in December. In the evening sky, Saturn will be visible between Pisces and Cetus, the Whale, just after dusk.
Original Source: https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/taurids-leonids-and-a-beaver-supermoon-astronomical-events-for-november-2026/74302562
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Publish Date: 2026-11-03 04:03:00
