Many of us miss those summer days when the sun would set much later into the night. I share this sadness with many, but if you’re an avid stargazer like I am, the shorter days give us more time to observe celestial events, and the ones lined up for November are ones to definitely look out for!
For the first event this year, I’m not entirely sure if it will happen. Scientists have been arguing about when this event will peak, but there is a chance that on November 5, the Southern Taurid Meteor Shower will peak. If it does peak (I’m really hoping it does!), stargazers may view the wide band of debris put on a dazzling show in the night sky.
For those living in the northern hemisphere, don’t be disdained that the southern hemisphere gets to soak in their meteor shower because, on November 12, the Northern Taurid Meteor Shower will peak. Note that these Taurid showers run from October 20 to November 30 so even if you miss the peak, you still have a lot of opportunities to see it still. As always, I recommend that you use a star-tracking app rather than spend your time in the freezing cold (depending on where you are, of course!) Look closely in the constellation Taurus and see if you can spot the debris.
For those who have studied space models in elementary school or high school, you might have learned that Mercury is close to the Sun, like really close! This makes the planet difficult to observe in the night sky as the glare of the Sun obstructs the light emitted from the planet, making it hard to see from Earth. However, every 3-4 months, Mercury is at its farthest point from the Sun and can be easily seen from Earth. This event will occur on the evening of November 15, so be sure to view the planet while you can before the Sun steals the spotlight once again!
The fun continues the next day when Uranus will be in opposition. As a reminder, when a planet or celestial body is in opposition, it means that Earth lies right in the middle of that body in the Sun. Since all the light from the Sun is being shone onto the planet, it’s easier to view in the night sky. This helps a lot for a planet like Uranus, given that it’s already so small in the sky, so having all this light makes it much easier to view!
The meteor showers don’t end there when the Leonids Shower will peak on November 17-18. This shower can be viewed for most of the month of November, but its show will be taken to another level when it reaches its peak on the 17th. Look in the constellation Leo, but if you can’t find it and get frustrated, rather than throwing your binoculars on the ground and calling it a day, use a star-tracking app!
Did you really think I was done with the meteor showers? Luckily for us, there are two more occasions to view them! On November 21, the Monocerotid Meteor Shower will peak and will be active from November 15 to 25. The peak can be best viewed before dawn (sorry for those who hate to wake up early). Sadly, the moon will be in its last-quarter phase, so that may obstruct the light of the shower, but it’s still a great sight to view!
Lastly, on November 28, the Orionids Shower will peak during the night. This shower will be active from November 13 to December 6. As one may discern from the name, look for the shower near the constellation of Orion. I will warn you that this shower isn’t very active; it might be around three meteors per hour, but any meteor shower is beautiful, so it’s still worth it!
That’s all the events for November, but there are more, so be sure to do more research if that interests you! Happy stargazing!
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