The Sky Tonight time: November 2025

The Casual Observer 

November continues the season of Kambarang, marked by the colorful look of vegetation and animals as spring continues.  

The Milky Way is now low on the western horizon at sundown. You can see Mercury and Mars backdropped by Scorpius marking the brightest components of our galaxy. Once this spectacle units within the west, you possibly can flip round and watch Orion rise within the east, as November is among the few occasions of the yr when you possibly can watch one of many Orion-Scorpius pair set and the opposite one rise inside an hour or so of one another. 

The Full Moon this month is a ‘Super Moon’ –⁠ the time period given when the Full Moon section happens because the Moon is closest to Earth in its orbit. This makes the Super Moon look about 6% bigger and about 12% brighter than an ‘average’ Full Moon. 

The Leonids meteor bathe peaks round November 18, although in apply this peak spreads out over just a few days. The constellation of Leo rises at about 2am, which means the perfect time to see this bathe is earlier than dawn on November 18. 

The meteors on this bathe originate from Comet 55/Tempel-Tuttle, which strikes in a retrograde orbit across the Sun –⁠ the wrong way to the orbits of the planets –⁠ which means that these meteor particles are putting Earth virtually head on. The finish result’s they transfer throughout the sky quick, as much as 70km/s. In good circumstances you may see a handful of meteors per hour, as much as about 15 in excellent viewing circumstances.  

Uranus is at opposition this month, which means it’s reverse the Sun within the sky. The planet rises because the Sun units and is up all night time, so when you’ve bought a telescope and a will to take a look at it, it’s there. 

Moon phases 

November 5: Full Moon 

November 12: Last Quarter 

November 20: New Moon 

November 28: First Quarter 

Dates of curiosity 

November 5: Super Full Moon 

November 18: Leonids Meteor Shower peaks 

November 21: Uranus at Opposition 

Planets to search for 

Uranus makes for good observing this month when you’ve got a telescope. Reaching opposition on November 21, you could find it close to the Pleiades within the constellation of Taurus. 

Saturn is seen within the north after sundown this month and makes for respectable viewing till it units within the early hours. As this occurs, Jupiter rises about 2am and is finest considered earlier than dawn as a shiny whitish gentle within the northern sky. 

After separating noticeably from the Sun final month, Mercury reverses route and returns in direction of it because the month goes on. If you wish to catch a glimpse of this planet, you possibly can see it within the western sky instantly after sundown for the primary two weeks of November earlier than it’s misplaced within the Sun’s glare. Mars is there as effectively. 

Venus shouldn’t be seen this month because it passes behind the Sun. 

Constellation of the month 

Telescopium – The “that’ll do” constellation. 

Telescopium is a middle-sized constellation seen within the southwestern sky throughout November evenings. Unsurprisingly, the constellation is depicted as a telescope, named by that prolific mapper of stars Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.  

While one could also be tempted to crack jokes at yet one more straight-line star sample (referred to as an asterism) being interpreted as a much more complicated form, simply as unusual is the minimal use of area that the star chart covers contained in the constellation. 

This does nevertheless present a helpful reminder of why astronomers even hassle with constellations. To an astronomer, Telescopium is the area of the sky marked by the purple field above. They permit astronomers to inform one another the place attention-grabbing issues are discovered within the sky. That anyone performed a nasty sport of join the dots on prime of it’s of no precise significance. It’s nonetheless amusing to assume that Lacaille was operating late to a geodesy tea social gathering or one thing and hurriedly scribbled down Telescopium earlier than signing off for the night time. 

Object for the small telescope 

Uranus 

November is the perfect time this yr to see the seventh planet from the Sun. Uranus, or ‘George’s Star’, because it was as soon as appallingly named, is simply barely seen to the bare eye in darkish skies however realistically would require some magnification to get an excellent view. Through a telescope it seems a pleasant blue inexperienced in color.