Sky Watch

November 2025

November 5: Full Moon (often called the “Beaver Moon”) will be bright and prominent shortly after sunset.
November 20: New Moon — ideal for deep‑sky observing since moonlight will be minimal.

Jupiter: Highly visible in the evening sky, bright in the southeast after sunset and rising earlier each night.
Saturn: Still observable in the early evening sky, though its visibility window is gradually shortening.
Venus: Appears in the pre‑dawn sky early in the month, acting as a bright “morning star.”
Mercury: May make a low pre‑dawn appearance toward late November—an opportunity for early‑morning viewers with clear eastern horizon.
Uranus: Reaches opposition on November 21, making it the best night this year to spot this pale‑blue planet through binoculars or a small telescope.

Southern & Northern Taurids: Active around early November. Known for occasional bright fireballs, especially the Southern Taurids early in the month.
Leonid Meteor Shower: Peaks November 17–18, with meteors radiating from the constellation Leo. Rates expected ~10‑15 meteors/hour under dark skies.

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon): Will be visible after sunset in early/mid‑November, low in the western sky shortly after dusk.
Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN): A faint target that may be visible in binoculars under dark skies toward the month’s end.
Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS: Although it was observable previously, its visibility is waning; it may not be an easy naked‑eye target in November.

Constellation Orion begins to rise earlier in the evening, along with other winter constellations such as Taurus, Gemini and Auriga.
Capella (in Auriga) climbs high in the northeast after dusk — one of the first bright “winter” stars of the season.
Deep‑Sky Highlights (best viewed near the New Moon around Nov 20):
- The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) — in the northeast after twilight.
- Open clusters and nebulae in Orion and Taurus (e.g., the Pleiades, the Hyades).
- Globular clusters and faint galaxies in autumn constellations, visible through binoculars or small telescopes under dark skies.

Choose hours after dusk or before dawn for best planet and Moon views.
For meteors and deep‑sky objects, go after midnight with minimal moonlight and find a location away from city lights.
Bring: reclining chair or blanket, red‑light flashlight, binoculars or small telescope, and warm layers (nights get chilly).
Let your eyes adapt to the dark for ~20 minutes — this will help you spot faint meteors and deep‑sky objects.

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