November 2026 brings a packed schedule of celestial events, featuring two Taurid meteor shower peaks, a close dawn pairing of Mars and Jupiter, a historic distance milestone for Voyager 1, and the first in a series of three consecutive supermoons.
NASA reports that November offers a busy lineup for skywatchers, opening with twin meteor showers and planetary alignments before concluding with a series of full supermoons.
Taurid Meteor Showers Peak With Bright Fireballs
According to NASA, the Southern Taurid meteor shower reached its peak around November 5, with the Northern Taurids following around November 12. These linked meteor showers originate from debris left by Comet 2P/Encke, which completes an orbit around the sun every 3.3 years.
Geo News reports that atmospheric entry velocities for these meteors remain low at roughly 29 kilometers per second, or 65,000 miles per hour, making them slower and easier to observe than faster showers, while each shower produces a yield of around five meteors per hour under ideal conditions. The Southern Taurids are spectacular because they produce many bright fireballs,
said Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. There aren’t many of them, but once you see one, you won’t forget it. It will create a brilliant streak in the sky.
NASA advises observers looking to catch the activity to find dark locations away from city lights, allowing about half an hour for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Just look up and enjoy the show,
Cooke added, according to Geo News. It’s the most basic form of astronomy. All you have to do is use your eyes.
Planets Gather in Morning Skies for Mars-Jupiter Conjunction
As detailed by Popular Science, morning skies throughout the month feature a gathering of planets in the southeastern horizon where Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter form an alignment during mid-November. Mercury appears low in the southeast just before sunrise, while Venus sits higher in the southeastern sky.
NASA notes that on the morning of November 16, Mars and Jupiter appear 1.2 degrees apart in the southeastern sky before sunrise. Both planets remain visible to the unaided eye as they appear to draw close and subsequently drift apart over successive mornings.
Voyager 1 Reaches Light-Day Distance Milestone
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft reaches a historic milestone later in the month, becoming the first human-made object to travel one light-day from Earth, a distance where radio signals traveling at light speed require 24 hours to reach the probe and another 24 hours for a response to return. The agency scheduled its Shine Bright for Voyager’s Light-Day activation for November 17 to mark the occasion.
According to NASA, activity in the upper atmosphere continues with the Leonid meteor shower, which is predicted to peak during the early morning hours of November 17 and 18 after the Moon sets. Under ideal conditions, the Leonids can yield up to around 15 meteors per hour.
Beaver Supermoon Rises Before Comet Perihelion
NASA reports that November concludes with a full supermoon on November 24, beginning a sequence of three consecutive supermoons. Popular Science notes that the lunar event reaches peak illumination while the Moon is below the horizon at 9:50 a.m. EST, with maximum visibility occurring on the evenings of November 23 and 24, and is known traditionally as the Beaver Moon. The name derives from North American beavers, whose long summers of hard work start to pay off in November, when they retreat to their lodges to wait out the winter.
Popular Science notes that the month’s celestial calendar closes on November 27 as Comet 161P/Hartley–IRAS reaches perihelion.
Earlier coverage: November 2026 Night Sky Brings Leonids and Supermoon