This month, Daylight Savings Time ends, 2 meteor showers to enjoy, and a Full "Beaver" Super Moon! The Milky Way is still visible, along with Saturn in the evenings, and Venus is lighting up the early pre-dawn morning skies!
Remember to "Fall Back" November 2nd - Daylight Savings Time Ends
What's in the Sky in November?
November 4th & 5th - Southern Taurids Meteor Shower Peaks
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 7th to December 10th. Two branches: The shower has two separate branches, the Southern Taurids and the Northern Taurids, which result from Earth passing through different parts of the debris cloud at different times.
Unfortunately, the glare from the full moon will hide most of the meteors this year. 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.
The significance of the Taurid meteor shower lies in its potential for fireballs and its association with a possible major impact event in Earth's past. It originates from the debris stream of Comet Encke, which is particularly spread out, causing a long-duration shower and sometimes producing enhanced fireball activity every few years.
The Taurids are one of the most studied meteoroid streams and are believed to be the remnants of a larger comet that broke up thousands of years ago. Studying them helps scientists understand the history and dynamics of the solar system.
The Taurid stream is notable for containing larger chunks of debris, and every few years, its "swarm" can produce a higher-than-normal rate of meteors, including fireballs. This has led to speculation that the stream may pose a future impact threat.
Long-duration shower: The Taurids are a long-lasting shower, occurring annually from late October through November. This is because the debris stream from Comet Encke is very spread out.
November 5th - Full "Beaver" Super-Moon
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 2025. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.
November 12th - Northern Taurids Meteor Shower Peak
November 17th-18th - Leonids Meteor Shower Peak
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 6th-30th.
It peaks this year on the night of the 17th and morning of the 18th.
This should be an excellent year for the Leonids. The thin, crescent moon won't be much of a problem, and skies will be dark enough for what should be a great 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 20th - New Moon
November 21st - 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.
To learn more about The Bare Dark Sky Observatory, click HERE.