What’s Up in the Night Sky – November 2026
from In-The-Sky.org
Moon Phases
Last Quarter – November 1
New Moon – November 9
First Quarter – November 17
Full – November 24 – The Beaver Moon
Close Encounters
November 1: The Moon has a close approach to the Beehive (M44) in the early morning hours.
November 2 (Near dawn): The Moon and Mars are in conjunction near dawn, passing within 1 degree of each other.
November 3/4 (just after Midnight): The Moon and Jupiter are just past conjunction when they rise together just after midnight DST.
ALSO November 3/4 (just after Midnight): The Moon will be near conjunction with the bright star Regulus.
November 4: Mercury is at inferior solar conjunction with the Earth, ending the most recent evening apparition and beginning the next morning apparition.
November 7 (before dawn): The Moon passes 1 degree south of Venus in the predawn sky. The thin crescents rise about 4:50am and fade from view as dawn breaks around 6:15am. The pair is joined by the bright star Spica to the left of Venus.
November 13 (early evening): The 4-day old crescent Moon is in conjunction with Sigma Sagittarii as darkness falls.
November 14/15 (after Midnight): Jupiter and Mars are in conjunction, with Jupiter passing about 1.25 degrees to the south of Mars. Use low power telescope or binoculars to view. Also visible to the naked eye. Jupiter will be magnitude -2.1 and Mars will be magnitude 0.7, both in Leo.
November 17 (mainly after Midnight): The Leonid meteor shower peaks this early AM. Details below.
November 18: The Pleiades cluster (M45) is at opposition and visible all night.
November 19 (morning, before dawn): Mercury reaches its highest altitude in the morning sky this apparition. It shines at magnitude -0.6 about 18degrees above the brightening eastern horizon.
November 20 (evening): The 12-day-old Moon passes less than 7 degrees north of Saturn. Look for the pair in the southeast as skies darken.
November 24 (morning, before dawn): The Moon and M45 the Pleiades pass within a degree of each other as they both set in the west before dawn.
November 25: Uranus is at opposition tonight. It shines in Taurus at a magnitude 5.6.
November 27 (morning, before dawn): Venus reaches peak brightness of magnitude -4.7 before dawn in the southeast sky, but only at 30 degrees above the horizon at sunrise.
November 29/30 (after Midnight): The last-quarter Moon passes about 1.5 lunar diameters south of Jupiter around 2:20am CST. Between 4am and 6am, Mars, Regulus, the Moon, and Jupiter are in a tight grouping in Leo.
Major Meteor Showers – from https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/
The Orionid Meteor Shower is active from October 2 through November 7, peaking on the night of October 21-22. Under ideal skies expect to see between 10 and 20 shower members. The waxing gibbous Moon will create significant interference but the brightest members should still be visible.
The Southern Taurids peak the night of November 4/5. The waning crescent Moon will not interfere much with viewing. Peak Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) is 5 per hour. This shower has a history of producing fireballs.
The Northern Taurids peak the night of November 11/12. The Moon will be a thin crescent rising around daybreak so will not interfere with the ZHR of 5.
The Leonids peak the night of November 16/17 with a ZHR of 15. The first-quarter Moon may interfere with early meteors until it sets.
Planet Watch for November 15, 2026
Mercury is difficult to observe as it is no higher than 11 degrees above the southeastern horizon at dawn. It shines at magnitude -0.03 in Virgo.
Venus is a bright morning star at magnitude -4.58. It rises about 2.5 hours ahead of the Sun.
Mars rises around 11:20pm local time, near Regulus in Leo. Mars shines at magnitude 0.7 and is visible until dawn around 6am.
Jupiter rises above the eastern horizon around 11pm, shining at magnitude -2.13 in Leo. It reaches maximum elevation due south around dawn.
Saturn becomes visible after sunset about 28° above the southeastern horizon and is visible all night long. The ringed planet shines at magnitude 0.43 in Cetus.
Uranus is one week away from opposition and rises around sunset and sets around sunrise. Its magnitude 5.6 spark shines in Taurus.
Neptune becomes accessible around 6:30pm and reaches maximum altitude of 50° above the southern horizon at 8:30pm. Its accessibility fades after 12:30am when the furthest ice giant drops below 21° above the western horizon. Neptune continues to shine faintly at magnitude 7.8 in Pisces.
