Astrology

November's night sky calendar includes meteor showers, planets and a Beaver supermoon.

November's night sky calendar includes the Taurid and Leonid meteor showers, a close pairing of Mars and Jupiter, and a Beaver supermoon, The Times of India reports. The full moon falls on November 24, while four planets appear across the morning sky in mid-November.

The Southern Taurids have a second peak around November 4 and 5, Yahoo reports, citing the American Meteor Society. That peak is associated with increased activity from fireballs, exceptionally bright meteors that outshine Venus. The Northern Taurids peak around November 12.

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The Taurids have two overlapping displays#

The Southern Taurids also peaked around October 14 and remain active until November 20, according to Yahoo. The Northern Taurids stay active until December 10. In ideal conditions, each display typically yields only a few meteors an hour, but those meteors can be particularly bright.

The Taurids take their name from Taurus, the constellation in the direction from which the meteors appear to come, according to Wikipedia. Yahoo reports that the shower occurs as Earth passes through debris left by Comet 2P/Encke. The debris stream is spread out, producing the two segments.

The Leonids return in mid-November, with the mornings of November 17 and 18 listed for meteor watching, Farmers' Almanac reports. The publication notes that meteor maxima are forecasts rather than fixed appointment times and that the Taurids have broad periods of activity.

Four planets appear before dawn#

Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Mars form a line stretching upward from the horizon before dawn from mid-November, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Mercury appears lowest, toward the southeast, while Venus is higher and brighter. Mars is the highest of the four planets.

Mars and Jupiter reach their closest apparent approach on November 14 to 17, BBC Sky at Night Magazine reports. Mars passes around a degree north of Jupiter. Farmers' Almanac lists November 15 and 16 as a window for seeing the pair close together before dawn.

The Beaver supermoon arrives November 24#

The November full moon is known as the Beaver Moon because beavers are active preparing for winter at that time, BBC Sky at Night Magazine reports. The magazine calls it a supermoon because the full moon coincides with the point in its orbit closest to Earth, making it appear bigger and brighter than other full moons of the year.

Farmers' Almanac lists the full moon for November 24 at 9:53 a.m. EST / 14:53 UTC. It also lists the evenings of November 23 and 24 for the nearly full and full Beaver Moon, around local moonrise and during the following evening hours.

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