November 2026: a Guide to This Month’s Night Sky
WHO:
Space.com - The November guide also identifies comets 161P/Hartley-IRAS and 10P/Tempel 2; the Great Red Spot on Jupiter; and the double stars Eta Cassiopeiae (Achird) and Mesarthim (Gamma Arietis).
NASA APOD - The featured image is titled “Comet PanSTARRs and Rainbow Meteor.”
Space.com - Monthly skywatching information is provided by Jules-Pierre Malartre of Starry Night Education.
Space.com - The featured objects include the moon; Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Uranus; the stars Regulus and Spica; and the clusters M44, M15, M45, NGC 1502, NGC 869, NGC 884, NGC 457 and NGC 7789.
NASA - The November skywatching highlights include Taurid and Leonid meteors, Mars near Jupiter, a Voyager 1 milestone and a supermoon.
WHAT:
Space.com - The moon passes near the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer in the predawn sky on Nov. 1, 2026; a medium-sized telescope can resolve stars around the lunar glare.
Space.com - A Mars–moon close approach, including an actual lunar occultation in some locations, occurs in the morning sky on Nov. 2, 2026.
Space.com - Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is described as visible in the Northern Hemisphere evening sky, with a telescope and detailed star chart likely needed; it sets around 11:30 p.m.
Space.com - Jupiter’s Great Red Spot crosses the planet’s central meridian at 11:19 p.m. EST on Nov. 9 (04:19 UTC); Jupiter clears the horizon closer to midnight.
Space.com - Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is low over the Northern Hemisphere evening horizon as it fades after its August perihelion.
Space.com - Kemble’s Cascade is an asterism of more than 20 stars spanning over two degrees in Camelopardalis and ending near NGC 1502.
Space.com - The Orion Nebula (M42) is in Orion’s Sword; its core contains the Trapezium cluster.
Space.com - The guide describes Mercury’s observing window as around 6:00 a.m., before sunrise at 6:49 a.m.
Space.com - The Ring Nebula (M57) lies between Sheliak and Sulafat in Lyra; a narrowband Oxygen-III filter can help reveal it.
Space.com - Reiner Gamma is a lunar swirl in Oceanus Procellarum associated with localized magnetic anomalies; a 60–80 mm telescope can show it as a tadpole-shaped marking.
Space.com - Caroline’s Rose (NGC 7789) was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783.
Space.com - The Southern Taurids are expected to produce roughly 5–10 meteors per hour, while the Leonids are described as producing roughly a dozen per hour.
Space.com - The November guide highlights a Mars–Jupiter conjunction, a Leonid meteor peak, Venus near Spica, Mercury at greatest western elongation, Uranus at opposition, a full moon near the Pleiades, and an eclipse of Jupiter’s moon Io.
Space.com - The guide describes the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) as the most distant astronomical object visible to the naked eye under dark rural skies.
NASA - NASA’s article headline identifies Voyager 1’s “light-day milestone” and November’s supermoon as additional highlights.
WHERE:
NASA APOD - The article presents an image of Comet PanSTARRs and a rainbow meteor; the supplied article text does not state an observing location.
Space.com - The Southern Taurid radiant is near Taurus; the Leonid radiant is in Leo. The guide also places M31 in Andromeda near Cassiopeia and the Pleiades in Taurus.
Space.com - The Venus–Spica grouping is described as low in the east-southeastern sky; Mercury is low in the eastern sky before sunrise.
WHEN:
Space.com - The Southern Taurids’ approximate peak is around Nov. 5, 2026; the new moon is Nov. 9, and the Northern Taurids peak around Nov. 12.
Space.com - Mars and Jupiter appear close together on Nov. 15, 2026. The Leonids peak around Nov. 17–18, with the best viewing window described as Nov. 18 between 1:00 a.m. and dawn.
Space.com - Io is due to be eclipsed at 2:24 a.m. EST (07:24 UTC) on Nov. 23, 2026. Uranus reaches opposition on Nov. 25.
NASA - The article headline identifies November 2026 as the month for its skywatching highlights.
WHY:
Space.com - The guide says the new moon provides dark skies for meteor viewing, while the bright full moon can wash out faint deep-sky objects.
Space.com - Io appears to vanish during its eclipse because it passes into Jupiter’s shadow rather than behind the planet’s disk.
HOW:
Space.com - For the Nov. 2 Mars–moon pairing, the guide recommends a DSLR on a tripod with a 200 mm lens and bracketed exposures to capture lunar Earthshine and Mars’s color.
Space.com - For the Nov. 7 Venus–moon–Spica grouping, the guide gives East Coast observers a viewing window of 6:00–6:30 a.m. Eastern Time and advises using a solid structure to block the rising sun when using optical equipment.
Space.com - The guide recommends allowing at least 15 minutes for dark adaptation; it says rural locations are best for viewing faint objects and meteor showers.
Space.com - It recommends wide-field camera exposures for meteors and cautions never to point binoculars or telescopes directly at the sun, warning of severe, permanent eye damage.
(UPDATED November 3, 2026 14:04 UTC)
November’s skywatching highlights include meteor showers, a supermoon, and Mars near Jupiter. The Leonids peak in November, while dark skies help reveal fainter celestial sights. Jupiter, comets, and the Andromeda Galaxy also offer observers plenty to explore.
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(UPDATED November 3, 2026 13:08 UTC)
November’s skywatching highlights include Taurid and Leonid meteors, a supermoon, and Voyager 1’s milestone. The Taurids peak around November 5, while Leonids peak around November 17 or 18. Find dark skies for meteors, and never aim binoculars or telescopes at the sun.