The Hiking Astronomer

November Stargazing Guide

Here’s what to look for in the cosmos above during November 2026…

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Taurid Fireball Season – November 4th to 12th

The Taurid meteor shower isn’t a spectacular show of dozens of meteors, but it does produce fireballs, large, bright meteors that can last for several seconds. Located near the Pleiades, the tight group of stars located at the tail of Taurus the Bull, you might have a chance to see about 3-5 meteors per hour.

Looking east about 9pm local time

Jupiter & Mars Conjunction – November 16th, morning hours

If you’ve stayed up late (or woken up early) the past two months, you may have spotted a pair of bright white and red dots in the sky to the north of Orion. Those are Jupiter (white) and Mars (red), and they’re currently sliding closer together!

While neither planet will be visible in the night sky during normal waking hours until late January, then finally rising at sunset starting February 11th (Jupiter) and February 18th (Mars), they’ll still put on a show for anyone who makes an effort to watch.

November 16th brings them closer together than they’ll be for the next couple years. They’ll rise just after midnight local time, and you can see them with your naked eye until sunrise, when they’ll fade into the sunlight.

Facing south at 4:30am November 16th, above constellation Leo the Lion

Super Full Beaver Moon – November 24th

The closest and brightest full moon of the year! The Beaver Moon will be about 8% bigger in the sky, and 14% brighter than a typical Full Moon. While the human eye cannot detect these differences, seeing the Moon in the telescope gives you a sense of the changing size as it gets larger and smaller near the edges of the eyepiece.

I will NOT be showing the November 2026 Super Full Moon at sidewalk astronomy, due to Thanksgiving plans. The final day to see the Moon in San Diego will be November 23rd.

Full Moon of May 2026

Venus returns to the morning sky – November 29th

Venus spent most of 2026 in the evening sky, from March – early October. In May, it has a fantastic encounter with the Moon, and in June, it crossed paths with Jupiter after sunset.

Now Venus has passed the Sun and will swing into the morning sky from the end of November until August 2027. It won’t be visible in the evening sky again until early November 2027.