Astronomical Events In November

Astronomy. Outer space. Truly a beautiful thing. While it is unfortunate we can’t see the more exotic events from down here on Earth, we can see many other events! While things like the Moon entering new phases & planets shifting into different constellations may not seem that interesting, the month of November is packed with astronomical events such as meteor showers & planets from the solar system finally coming into the naked eye’s view, ready for any stargazer looking forward to see it. 

Here are some of the astronomical events November has in store for us:

★ November 1st: New Moon

☆ The moon will be entering its new moon phase around 8:50 A.M. EST, making it easier to search for any star clusters or any other celestial body as the moonlight will not be obstructing anything. This is the best time to go stargazing as everything will be more visible.

★ November 4th: Moon Near Venus

☆ Occasionally planets will be visible near the moon, whether that be a planet that's farther away in the solar system or a planet that's closer to us— & for November 4th, that planet will be Venus, the brightest planet in the solar system. It will appear somewhere around 5 P.M. EST. The best time to go out & search for Venus wandering around the sky alongside the Moon would be from 6 P.M. EST to 11 P.M. EST. This luckily can be viewed with the naked eye.

★ November 4th & 5th: Taurid Meteor Shower

☆ The Taurids Meteor Shower will be at its peak during these dates. Though this annual meteor shower lasts from September 7th through December 10th, it’ll be at its peak on the night of November 4th. Though the moonlight will be obstructing the dimmer meteors, the brightest meteors will be visible in the night sky. For all the stargazers wanting to see this, it is recommended to go somewhere dark sometime after midnight for the best viewing experience.

★ November 11th: Moon Near Saturn

☆ Unlike Venus, Saturn unfortunately will not be as visible as Venus due to it being farther away & sadly not as bright, but it will still be viewable if you get a pair of binoculars or a telescope & look for it. Best viewing time would be around 8 P.M. EST. As expected Saturn will be somewhere around the moon, so spotting the two shouldn't be that difficult.

★ November 15th: Supermoon

☆ Much like the Supermoon we had in October, there will be a supermoon, appearing some time during November 14th. On the 15th, it will be most visible in the sky around 4:30 P.M. EST, right around sunset. It may even be visible before sunset! It'll be visible the day after during the morning. This can be seen without any gear.

★ November 16th: Mercury At Greatest Eastern Elongation

☆ Mercury will be reaching its greatest eastern elongation on November 16th, appearing in the sky during the day— though not entirely visible. The best time to look for mercury would be when it reaches its peak, being at its highest sometime during the evening by the horizon after sunset over to the west.

★ November 17th: Uranus At Opposition 

☆ Uranus will be faintly visible in the night sky, appearing as a small green speck in the sky. It'll be rising as the sun is setting, shining the brightest & reaching its peak at around 11 P.M. EST & last until 12 A.M. EST. While you can see Uranus with the naked eye, it is recommended you use a pair of binoculars or a telescope in a dark area for the best view.

★ November 17th: Moon Near Jupiter

☆ The Moon will be closer to Jupiter, the two happily appearing in the sky next to each other. The best time to view this is around 8 P.M. EST. The pair will be well above the horizon, Jupiter appearing as a small speck next to the Moon. Best viewing conditions is to be in a dark place with a telescope or a pair of binoculars with no clouds to obstruct the view.

★ November 17th & 18th: Leonid Meteor Shower

☆ Much like the Taurid Meteor Shower, the Leonid Meteor Shower will be at its peak around these two dates despite being around for a while. (from November 3rd to December 2nd) At around 7:00 P.M. EST, the meteor shower will be visible to us. Later during the night it will be at its peak. The meteor shower will still be visible at dawn on the 18th though it will be faint as the sunlight drowns out the light from the meteors. Ideal stargazing conditions is to be in a dark place, preferably in an area where the moon isn't visible for a nice unobstructed view.

★ November 20th: Moon Near Mars

☆ The Moon will be positioned near Mars on November 20th. Look for the both of them around 5:30 P.M. EST in the lower part of the horizon. Mars will appear as a small orange dot in the sky next to the moon. No telescope or any other gear is needed to see this as it can be seen with the naked eye. 

★ November 17th – 21st: Seven Sisters Star Cluster {The Pleiades}

☆ From the 17th to the 21st of November, The Pleiades, otherwise known as the Seven Sister Star Cluster (or if you want to get scientific, Messier 45/M45) will be visible in the early morning sky as well as later during the day. For any stargazers looking forward to seeing this star cluster, it is recommended to begin looking for it around 5:30 P.M. EST, It will reach its highest altitude at around midnight. Luckily, finding this will be easy to find as it emits a bright blue light up in the sky.

Experienced stargazer or not, all of these events are truly amazing to witness, you can luckily see most without a telescope, making these events much more accessible to people without any binoculars or a telescope, allowing anyone & everyone to see the beauty that is space.