Originally published by Sea and Sky.
November 4, 5 – Taurids Meteor Shower. The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is unusual in that it consists of two separate streams. The first is produced by dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10. The second stream is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. The shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10. It peaks this year on the the night of November 4. The waning crescent moon should not be too much of a problem this year. Skies should still be dark enough for a good show. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
November 9 – New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 07:03 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.Go Stargazing
November 17, 18 – Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is an average shower, producing up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak. This shower is unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001. The Leonids is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865. The shower runs annually from November 6-30. It peaks this year on the night of the 17th and morning of the 18th. This should be good year for the Leonids. The waxing gibbous moon will block some of the fainter meteors in the early evening. But it will set shortly after midnight leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent early morning show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
November 20 – Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 19.6 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
November 24 – Full Moon, Supermoon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 14:55 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Beaver Moon because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon and the Dark Moon. This is also the second of three supermoons for 2026. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.Go Stargazing
November 25 – Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
Astronomy Essentials Full Moon Names by the Month and by the Season
What are the full moon names? Cultures across the world have given special names to full moons, and this practice is very much alive in North America. Some almanacs assign full moon names by the month. On the other hand, other almanacs like to reference full moons relative to seasonal markers, as defined by equinoxes and solstices. Is one way better than the other? No. Both have their roots in folklore. Also, lists of full moon names vary widely coming from different regions and cultures....
Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse Overnight Tonight!
People in Africa, Europe, most of the Americas, and the eastern Pacific Ocean will see a deep lunar eclipse overnight on August 27-28, 2026. The eclipse won’t be total. But it’ll be nearly total, with 96% of the moon within the Earth’s dark umbral shadow at mid-eclipse. Lunar eclipses are a whole-Earth event. But you must be in nighttime when the eclipse happens, in order to see it. The half of Earth facing the full moon – that is, the whole half of Earth that’s in nighttime – will see the...
Astronomy Essentials Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse on August 27-28, 2026
People in Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, parts of Greenland, Antarctica, most of the Americas and eastern Pacific Ocean will see a deep lunar eclipse overnight on August 27-28, 2026. The eclipse won’t be total. But it’ll be nearly total, with 96% of the moon within the Earth’s dark umbral shadow at mid-eclipse. Lunar eclipses are a whole-Earth event. But you must be in nighttime when the eclipse happens, in order to see it. The half of Earth facing the full moon – that is, the whole...
What is the Milky Way? It’s our home galaxy
Do you think of the Milky Way as a starry band across a dark night sky? Or do you think of it as a great spiral galaxy in space? Both are correct. Both refer to our home galaxy, our local island in the vast ocean of the universe, composed of hundreds of billions of stars, one of which is our Sun. Long ago, it was possible for everybody in the world to see a dark, star-strewn sky when they looked heavenward at night. In those ancient times, humans looked to the starry sky and saw a ghostly band...
Visible Planets and Night Sky Guide for July
June 6, Earth will reach its farthest point from the sun in its orbit. But it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere! How can that be? Plus, a big asteroid passed close to Earth last last weekend. Should we worry? July 6: Earth at aphelion July evening planets: Northern Hemisphere view July morning planets: Northern Hemisphere view July 7: Watch for the 3rd quarter moon July 7 and 8 mornings: Moon near Saturn July 10 and 11 mornings: Moon near Aldebaran, Mars and the Pleiades...
Rocket Launches can sometimes be seen in Garrett County. Especially those from Wallops Island.
