Monthly Night Sky Report: November 2025

                Introduction

   October was cold for much of the month, but also presented several clear days and nights. During several evenings, I watched Saturn appear in the east as the sky darkened, and the Moon as it passed through its phases. Nearly every clear morning of October, I watched Venus rise in the east shortly before sunrise and Orion paired with Jupiter high overhead. I finally had the opportunity to try out my new telescope during the New Moon phase. I only used the eyepieces that came with the scope, which are not of the highest quality, so the views could have been better, but I was not disappointed by any means. The highlight of the evening was Saturn, of course. The scope easily revealed the rings and a couple of Saturn's moons. I also targeted M13 (Hercules Globular Cluster) and Albireo, one of my favorite double stars. The GoTo feature on my new scope was a bit off, entirely my fault. The mount tracked the objects that I had centered in the eyepiece beautifully! I am incredibly anxious for another opportunity to take out my new scope!

    In November, many of my favorite winter constellations will rise earlier in the night sky. With them, many DSOs will return. November also brings the return of the Leonid Meteor Shower. Uranus will reach opposition this month as well. There are also a few comets hanging around in the night sky waiting to be viewed by binocular and telescope owners.

                      

Mercury

   Mercury will spend most of November in the western sky after sunset. It can be found close to Antares, the red eye of Scorpius, and Mars. As the month progresses, Mercury will move closer to the Sun until the 20th, when it reaches solar conjunction. On the 24th, Mercury pops out of the other side of the Sun, rising with Venus before sunrise. The pair can be found within 2° of each other for the remainder of the month. 

  

Venus

   Venus will remain bright but lose altitude throughout November. Venus will rise about an hour before the Sun, but because it is at a lower altitude for Northern Hemisphere observers, it will hug the eastern horizon. Mercury will join Venus in the morning sky during the last quarter of the month, but will be most noticeable after the 24th. Mercury will gain altitude while Venus sinks. The Moon will pass close to Venus on the 19th.  

    

Mars

    

    Mars will likely be too dim to spot as it moves closer to the Sun from our vantage point. Mercury can be found just 1.5° below Mars on the 12th, but the pair will be hard to spot as they hug the western horizon. For the best chance of seeing these two planets, get to a high elevation with a clear view of the west horizon. Escaping the glow of city lights will also help.

       

Jupiter

Saturn

    Jupiter is easy to spot in the night sky as it rises above the eastern horizon. On November 1, Jupiter will be visible shortly after midnight for Utahns. Due to Daylight Saving Time ending on the 2nd, this time will be an hour earlier, around 11:00 PM. As we charge through November, Jupiter will rise earlier until the end of the month, when it should be visible around 9:00 PM. As always, several Galilean Moon transits can be observed throughout the month. I encourage interested observers to use the Moons of Jupiter and Saturn app for Android or Gas Giants for iOS devices to determine when these transits occur at their location. Both of these apps are free. If an observer is interested in a paid and more comprehensive app, I recommend Stellarium Plus for both Android and iOS, as well as Sky Safari Pro for iOS. The Earth's own Moon will pass close by Jupiter on the 10th this month.  

    Saturn remains a prime target for observers throughout November. I recently viewed Saturn through my new telescope and can attest to this planet delighting observers. The tilt of the rings is not at its best right now, but viewing them nearly edge-on is still a pleasing sight. A few of the Saturnian Moons are also visible. The apps mentioned above are great resources for identifying the Moon on a particular night and from a specific location. The Earth's Moon will join Saturn on the 2nd and again on the 29th.

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

   Uranus will remain in Taurus during November and can be found to the lower right of M45, the Pleiades, as the pair rises above the eastern horizon. They can be seen close to 7:30 PM for Utahns during the first week of the month. As the month progresses, the pair will rise earlier, being visible soon after sunset. Uranus reaches opposition on the 21st. The Earth's Moon will pass close by on the 6th.

  Neptune can be found trailing after Saturn in the night sky. A pair of binoculars or a telescope will be required to view this planet and its blueish glow. The Earth's Moon will be close by on November 2nd and again on November 29th.

The Leonid Meteor Shower and Comets

    The Leonid Meteor Shower returns in November. This shower is active from the 6th through the end of the month, but will peak on the 17th. The Leonids aren't known for a high volume, with only 15 meteors per hour expected on the peak date, but the meteors that do appear leave long trails in the night sky. As the name suggests, the Leonids will appear to radiate from Leo the Lion, which rises shortly after midnight on the 17th. The thin Crescent Moon won't interfere until around 6:00 AM on the morning of the peak date.

    There are currently three comets that are popping up in news feeds. Comet Lemmon can be found in the western sky after sunset and is presently the brightest of the three comets. This comet made its closest approach to the Sun in October and is growing dimmer as it moves away from us. It will quickly fade as we move deeper into November.

    Comet SWAN can be found in Aquarius during the first week of November and will then move into Pisces. Comet SWAN is significantly dimmer than Comet Lemmon and will continue to fade, requiring binoculars or a telescope, as well as a light-pollution-free sky, to be visible.

    Interstellar Comet ATLAS has been all over the news as it passes through our solar system. This comet is the third known comet to have originated outside of the solar system. It reached its closest approach to the Sun on October 30th and will become visible again in late November. 

    A dark sky and a pair of binoculars or a telescope will help locate these comets throughout the month. A camera capable of taking long exposure images will also be helpful. I recommend using a favorite stargazing app to help find these objects and track their nightly position changes. 

Monthly Breakdown

November 02: Moon passes within 4° of Saturn
November 02: Moon passes within 3° of Neptune
November 05: Full Moon 🌕
November 06: Moon passes within 5° of Uranus
November 10: Moon passes within 4° of Jupiter 
November 12: Last Quarter Moon🌗 
November 12: Mercury and Mars pass within 1.5°
November 17: Leonid Meteor Shower peaks
November 19: Moon passes within 6° of Venus 
November 20: New Moon 🌑
November 20: Mercury reaches inferior conjunction with the Sun
November 21: Uranus reaches opposition
November 24: Mercury and Venus pass within 1°

November 28: First Quarter Moon 🌓 

November 29: Moon passes within 4° of Saturn

November 29: Moon passes within 3° of Neptune 

 

         

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.

The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.