Actual Astronomy - Observer's Calendar For November

Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. actualastronomy@gmail.com

In this episode we cover the very active Leonid Meteor Shower peaking on the night of November 17–18, 2026, produced by dust from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with fast meteors. Explore expert guidance on tracking celestial events alike Venus pairing with Spica, lots of deep sky clusters plus the latest astronomical highlights and observational tips for stargazers of all levels.

 

In this episode, we are looking ahead to the night skies for the month of November. We break down the key celestial highlights—from planetary conjunctions and meteor showers to prime targets for deep-sky observers and double star enthusiasts.

 

The Planets This Month

• Mercury: Extremely low in the east-northeast (ENE), best viewed after mid-month.
• Venus: Extremely low in the east-southeast (ESE) morning twilight all month.
• Mars: Looks good already.
• Jupiter: Rises after 9:00 PM in the ENE and transits before 5:00 AM. Look out for multiple shadow transit events throughout the month.
• Saturn: High in the south-southeast (SSE) at dusk, setting in the west around 2:00 AM.

 

Weekly Highlight Guide & Notable Events:

Week 1 (November 1 – November 7)

• November 1: Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM (remember to set your clocks back!). Gegenschein is high in the south at midnight and well-positioned for the next two weeks in dark skies.
• November 2: Mars passes   north of the Moon; Jupiter passes   north of the Moon.
• November 3: Lunar Curtis X visible; M74 well-placed this evening.
• November 4: Mercury at inferior conjunction. Look for two shadows on Jupiter around 11:12 PM. NGC 253 and NGC 288 are well-placed this evening.
• November 6: M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) and NGC 7662 are well-placed this evening.
• November 7: Venus   north of the Moon. Zodiacal Light easily visible in dark skies in the east before morning twilight for the next two weeks. NGC 891 (The Silver Sliver Galaxy) is well-placed this evening. Long period variable star T Cep reaches maximum (8:00 PM).

 

Week 2 (November 8 – November 14)

• November 8: New Moon at 2:02 AM. Callisto and Io shadow events visible on Jupiter starting at 2:24 AM. M52 and NGC 7635 (Bubble Nebula) well-placed this evening.
• November 9: M103 and NGC 457 well-placed this evening. Comet 252P/LINEAR active.
• November 10: NGC 7789 well-placed this evening.
• November 11: Remembrance Day (Canada) / Veterans Day (USA). Venus is stationary.
• November 12: NGC 7793 well-placed this evening.
• November 13: Taurid meteor shower peaks (ZHR ~ 5), best seen in predawn hours. Carbon star TU Gem best in evening. Mercury stationary; Mercury at apogee.

 

Week 3 (November 15 – November 21)

• November 15: Mars   north of Jupiter. M48, M47, and M46 well-placed this morning.
• November 16: Lunar X near crater Werner visible this evening. Carbon star UV Aql best in early evening.
• November 17: First Quarter Moon (6:48 AM). Leonid meteor shower peak (ZHR ~ 20), best seen in predawn hours today. Lunar Straight Wall, Eyes of Clavius, and Plato sunrise rays visible ().
• November 18: 55 Psc colorful double star. Carbon star TX Psc best in evening.
• November 19: Jewelled Handle ().   Andromedae and colorful double star; WZ Cas best in evening.
• November 20: Venus   north of Spica. Mercury greatest western elongation ( from Sun) in morning sky. Two shadows on Jupiter visible at 7:33 PM. 59 Andromedae and colorful double star; VX And best in evening.
• November 21: Carbon star TX Psc best in evening.

 

Week 4 & Beyond (November 22 – November 30)

• November 22: Crater Bailly (). Long period variable star W And ().
• November 24: Full Moon at 9:54 AM. Mars   north of Regulus. Large tides expected over the following three days. Note for northern observers: "Today's Full Moon is the Rivers Freezing Over Moon."
• November 25: Moon at perigean (). Uranus at opposition (). Europa and Io shadow transit on Jupiter at 12:57 AM.
• November 26: Thanksgiving Day (USA).
• November 28: Uranus opposition window highlights.
• November 29: Venus at greatest illuminated extent. Try to spot Uranus () unaided this weekend.
• November 30: Jupiter, Moon, Regulus, and Mars within   this morning.

 

Deep-Sky & Binocular Target Highlights

• The Silver Sliver Galaxy (NGC 891): An absolute standout edge-on spiral galaxy in Andromeda, matching the Milky Way in size and structure (~30 million light-years away).
• Star Clusters & Nebulae: Beautiful sweeps through M52, the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635), NGC 7789, and open clusters M46, M47, and M48.
• Carbon Stars & Double Stars: Keep an eye out for colorful double star systems like   Andromedae and 59 Andromedae, alongside rich carbon stars such as TU Gem, UV Aql, WZ Cas, and TX Psc for deep red hues.

 

The visual comets expected in the Northern Hemisphere for November 2026 are 161P/Hartley-