Night sky, November 2025: What you can see tonight [maps]

The night sky tonight and on any clear night offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects you can see, from stars and constellations to bright planets, the moon, and sometimes special events like meteor showers.

Observing the night sky can be done with no special equipment, although a sky map can be very useful, and a good telescope or binoculars will enhance some experiences and bring some otherwise invisible objects into view.

You can also use astronomy accessories to make your observing easier, and use our Satellite Tracker page powered by N2YO.com to find out when and how to see the International Space Station and other satellites. We also have a helpful guide on how you can see and track a Starlink satellite train.

You can also capture the night sky by using any of the best cameras for astrophotography, along with a selection of the best lenses for astrophotography.

Read on to find out what's up in the night sky tonight (planets visible now, moon phases, observing highlights this month) plus other resources (skywatching terms, night sky observing tips and further reading)

Related: The brightest planets in the night sky: How to see them (and when)

Monthly skywatching information is provided to Space.com by Chris Vaughan of Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu and Chris at @Astrogeoguy

Editor's note: If you have an amazing skywatching photo and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Calendar of observing highlights

Saturday, Nov. 1 - Spectacular moon approaches Saturn and Neptune (all night)

On Saturday, Nov. 1, the waxing gibbous moon will be visible in the southeast during late afternoon. As the sky darkens after sunset, the prominent, yellowish dot of Saturn will appear to the lower left (or celestial east) of the moon. Though far fainter, Neptune will be positioned several finger widths to Saturn's left, the glare of the bright moon will all but hide it.

Saturn and the moon will cross the sky together and set in the wee hours. By then, the diurnal rotation of the sky will lift the planet higher than the moon and the moon's eastward orbital motion will move it closer to Saturn. Magnified views of the moon on Saturday will highlight the spectacular terrain to the west of Mare Imbrium and Mare Humorum (inset).

Sunday, Nov. 2 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

For jurisdictions that adopt Daylight Saving Time (DST), clocks should be set backward by one hour at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 2. For mid-northern latitude residents, after Sunday, the morning sky will be brighter for your commute to school or work and the moon and the stars will be shining by dinner time, allowing the youngest astronomers to have some telescope time. Daylight Saving Time will resume on March 8, 2026.

Monday, Nov. 3 - Grimaldi Graces the Edge (all night)

The dark-floored basin named Grimaldi is a prominent, rugged oval located near the western edge of the moon. It is just south of the moon's equator (the up-down red curve) and below, or lunar southwest of, the large, dark patch of Oceanus Procellarum, the Sea of Storms. The 108-mile (175 kilometer) diameter basin is easy to see using your unaided eyes and through binoculars and telescopes.

On Monday, Nov. 3, the terminator on the waxing gibbous moon will fall just to the west of the crater, accentuating its complex, pitted rim and some subtle wrinkle ridges on the basalts of its eastern floor. The 14-mile (22 km) wide fresh crater named Grimaldi B on the basin's northern edge is visible under magnification. Grimaldi will be fully illuminated from Monday night onward.

Tuesday, Nov. 4 - Southern Taurids meteor shower peak (all night)

The Southern Taurids meteor shower, which is active worldwide from Sept. 28 to Dec. 8 annually, will reach its maximum rate of about 5 meteors per hour on Wednesday morning, Nov. 5. Meteors will appear once the sky darkens on Tuesday evening, but the best viewing time in the Americas will be around midnight when the radiant in western Taurus will be highest in the sky.

The long-lasting, weak shower is the first of two consecutive showers derived from debris dropped by the passage of periodic Comet 2P/Encke. The larger-than-average grain sizes of the comet's debris often produce colorful fireballs. This year, a bright, nearly full moon will reduce the number of faint meteors all night long.

Wednesday, Nov. 5 - Two shadows cross Jupiter

From time to time, observers with good-quality telescopes can watch the black shadows of the Galilean moons travel across Jupiter's disk. On Wednesday morning, Nov. 5, observers in most of the Americas can see two shadows cross Jupiter simultaneously for half an hour. At 12:13 a.m. EST or 05:13 GMT, Europa's small shadow will join the slightly larger shadow of Io that began its own crossing at 10:20 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Io's shadow will complete its passage at 12:33 a.m. EST or 05:33 GMT, leaving Europa's shadow to journey on alone until 3:00 a.m. EST (or 08:00 GMT). In the Pacific Time zone, the planet will be too low in the east for observing during the event.

Wednesday, Nov. 5 - Full Frost Supermoon

The November full moon, traditionally known as the Beaver Moon or Frost Moon, always shines within or near the stars of Taurus and Aries. The moon will reach its full phase at 8:19 a.m. EST, 5:19 a.m. PST, or 13:19 GMT on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Indigenous groups have their own names for the full moons, which lit the way of the hunter or traveler at night before modern conveniences like flashlights. The Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes region call this one Mnidoons Giizis Oonhg, the "Little Spirit Moon", a time of healing. The Cree Nation of central Canada calls it Kaskatinowipisim, the "Rivers Freeze-up Moon", when the lakes and rivers start to freeze. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois / Mohawk) of Eastern North America call it Kentenhko:wa, the "Time of Much Poverty Moon". Full moons that occur during the cold months in North America will climb as high in the sky as the summer noonday sun and cast similar shadows. Since the moon will pass perigee 9 hours after it is full, this will also be the second and largest of three consecutive supermoons in 2025, appearing about 6% larger and 16% brighter than an average full moon (as shown by the red circle).

Thursday, Nov. 6 - Bright moon approaches Uranus and the Pleiades (predawn)

In the western sky before sunrise on Thursday morning, Nov. 6 in the Americas, the bright Pleiades Star Cluster, also known as Messier 45, the Seven Sisters, Subaru, Matariki, and the Hole in the Sky, will be positioned less than a palm's width above (or 4 degrees to the celestial east of) the still very-full moon. To best see the stars of the cluster, which are sprinkled across several full moon diameters of the sky, head outside before the sky brightens too much and hide the moon just beyond the lower right edge of your binoculars (orange circle).

Friday, Nov. 7 - Watch Algol brighten

On November evenings, Perseus is climbing the northeastern sky after dusk. The star Algol, also designated Beta Persei, marks the glowing eye of Medusa from Greek mythology. This star in the constellation of Perseus is among the most accessible variable stars for skywatchers. During a ten-hour period that repeats every 2 days, 20 hours, and 49 minutes, Algol dims noticeably and re-brightens by about a third while a fainter companion star with an orbit nearly edge-on to Earth crosses in front of its much brighter primary, reducing the total light output we perceive.

Algol normally shines at magnitude 2.1, similar to the nearby star Almach (aka Gamma Andromedae). But when fully dimmed, Algol's brightness of magnitude 3.4 is almost identical to Rho Persei (or Gorgonea Tertia or ρ Per), the star sitting just two finger widths to Algol's lower right (or 2.25 degrees to the celestial south). On Friday evening, Nov. 7 at 7:02 p.m. EST (or 00:02 GMT on Saturday), Algol will display its minimum brightness while it is shining in the lower part of the northeastern sky. The star will steadily brighten while it climbs, returning to full intensity five hours later at 12:02 a.m. EST or 05:02 GMT on Saturday.

Sunday, Nov. 9 - Moon meets Jupiter in Gemini (overnight)

On Sunday, Nov. 9, the waning gibbous moon and the very bright planet Jupiter will clear the treetops in the east after about 9:45 p.m. local time. The duo will share the view in standard binoculars (orange circle) as they cross the sky all night long, accompanied by Gemini's two prominent stars, Pollux and the double star Castor. Observers viewing the grouping later at night and in more westerly time zones will see the moon pass directly between Jupiter and Pollux. Early risers on Monday morning can spot them forming a horizontal line high in the southwestern sky before sunrise

Monday, Nov. 10 - Half-moon buzzes the Beehive (late night)

When the waning gibbous moon rises in the east during late evening on Monday, Nov. 10, it will be positioned a generous thumb's width to the upper left (about 1.7 degrees to the celestial north) of the large open star cluster in Cancer known as the Beehive, Praesepe, and Messier 44. Both objects will fit within the field of view of binoculars (orange circle), although the bright moonlight will obscure the cluster's dimmer stars. To better see the "bees", hide the moon just beyond the upper left edge of the binoculars' field of view.

Tuesday, Nov. 11 - Jupiter starts retrograde motion (late night)

On Tuesday, Nov. 11, the eastward prograde motion of the planet Jupiter below Pollux, Gemini's more southerly "twin" star, will temporarily cease. After Tuesday, Jupiter will accelerate into a westward retrograde loop that will last until mid-March (red path) and span 10 degrees of the ecliptic.

You can easily observe Jupiter's motion over the coming weeks by comparing its position to Pollux and the medium-bright star Wasat, which marks that twin's waist. The extremely bright, white planet will be shining in the lower part of the eastern sky in late evening and then high in the west at sunrise. Retrograde loops occur when Earth, on a faster orbit closer to the sun, passes distant planets "on the inside track", making them appear to move backwards across the stars for a period of time.

Tuesday, Nov. 11 - Northern Taurids meteor shower peak (overnight)

The Northern Taurids meteor shower, which is active worldwide from Oct. 20 to Dec. 10 annually, will reach its maximum before dawn on Wednesday, Nov. 12 in the Americas. The best viewing time for North American skywatchers will start after dusk on Tuesday night, while the shower's radiant near the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus will be climbing the eastern sky, and before the bright, half-illuminated moon rises around 11 p.m. local time.

The long-lasting, weak shower is the second of two consecutive showers derived from debris dropped by the passage of periodic Comet 2P/Encke. The Northern Taurids shower typically delivers 5 meteors per hour at its peak. The larger-than-average grain sizes of the particles often produce colorful fireballs.

Wednesday, Nov. 12 - Third Quarter Moon

The moon will complete three-quarters of its orbit around Earth, measured from the previous new moon, on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 12:28 a.m. EST or 05:28 GMT, which converts to Tuesday at 9:28 p.m. PST. At its third (or last) quarter phase, the moon is half-illuminated, on its western, sunward side. It will rise around midnight local time, and then remain visible until it sets in the western daytime sky in early afternoon.

Third quarter moons are positioned ahead of the Earth in our trip around the sun. About 3.5 hours later, Earth will occupy that same location in space. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase are the best ones for observing fainter deep sky targets.

Wednesday, Nov. 12 - Mercury zips past Mars (after sunset)

After sunset on Wednesday, Nov. 12, skywatchers located at southerly latitudes can catch the innermost planet, Mercury, passing less than a thumb's width to the left (or 1.3 degrees to the celestial south) of Mars. The pair will be binoculars-close (orange circle) from Nov. 6, when slightly brighter Mercury will be positioned well to Mars' upper left, until Nov. 15, when Mercury will be found to Mars' lower right. The bright star Antares will be twinkling off to the left of the two planets. From mid-northern latitudes, the two planets will be difficult to locate just above the horizon and embedded in bright twilight.

Thursday, Nov. 13 - Moon poses near Regulus (predawn)

Once the waning crescent moon clears the rooftops in the east after about 1 a.m. local time on Thursday morning, Nov. 13, Leo's brightest star, Regulus, will be positioned less than a binocular's field of view (orange circle) above it. Early risers on Monday before sunrise can see the pair more widely separated and higher in the southeastern sky.

Saturday, Nov. 15 - The Double Cluster (all night)

The northeastern sky on November evenings hosts the bright constellations of Perseus and W-shaped Cassiopeia, with the very bright star Capella positioned well below them. The sky between Perseus and Cassiopeia hosts the Double Cluster, a pair of bright open star clusters that together cover a finger's width of the sky. They make a spectacular sight in binoculars (orange circle) or a telescope at low magnification.

The higher (more westerly) cluster, designated NGC 869, is dense and contains more than 200 white and blue-white stars. The lower (easterly) cluster NGC 884 is looser and includes a handful of 8th magnitude golden stars. The clusters, which both formed in the same part of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, are about 7,300 light-years away from us. The clusters would be even brighter if they weren't being dimmed by opaque dust in the galactic plane.

Monday, Nov. 17 - Leonids meteor shower peak

The annual Leonids Meteor shower, derived from material left by repeated passages of periodic Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, is active from Nov. 6 to Nov.30. The peak of the shower, when up to 15 meteors per hour can be seen — many with persistent trains — occurs while Earth is traversing the densest part of the comet's debris field. This year it is predicted to be on Monday afternoon, Nov. 17, in the Americas.

Since you need a dark sky to see meteors, you should see a reduced number of Leonids on Monday morning in the hours before dawn, when the shower's radiant point in the head of Leo will be high in the southeastern sky. Some Leonids will also appear from Monday evening into Tuesday morning. The waning crescent moon rising before sunrise will not interfere with this year's shower.

Thursday, Nov. 20 - New moon

The moon will reach its new phase on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 1:47 a.m. EST or 06:47 GMT, which converts to Wednesday at 10:47 p.m. PST. At its new phase, our natural satellite will be located in eastern Libra and 5 degrees south of the sun. While new, the moon is traveling between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight can only reach the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, the moon becomes unobservable from anywhere on Earth for about a day (except during a solar eclipse). On the evenings following the new moon phase, our planet's partner will return to shine in the western sky after sunset.

Friday, Nov. 21 - Uranus at opposition (all night)

On Friday, Nov. 21, Uranus will reach opposition, the night of the year when it is closest to Earth. On the evenings around opposition, Uranus will be at a distance of 1.73 billion miles, 2.77 billion km, or 154 light-minutes, and will shine at a peak brightness of magnitude 5.6 as it crosses the sky all night long, making it readily visible in binoculars and backyard telescopes.

Uranus' small, blue-green dot will also appear slightly larger in telescopes for about a week centered on opposition night. Uranus has been moving slowly retrograde westwards through western Taurus. This month, it will be positioned less than a palm's width below (or 4.5 degrees to the celestial south) of the Pleiades Star Cluster, aka Messier 45. If you place the Pleiades near the top left edge of your binoculars' field of view (orange circle), Uranus will be the dull-looking blue-green "star" located near the bottom of the field.

Sunday, Nov. 23 - Mare Crisium (evening)

On Sunday evening, Nov. 23, the dark oval of Mare Crisium will be framed inside the appealing crescent of the young moon. Several evenings after the new moon every month, this 345-mile (556 km) diameter basin is easy to see using your unaided eyes, binoculars, and any telescope. It is located near the eastern edge of the moon, just north of the moon's equator (the up-down red curve). The wobble of the moon, known as lunar libration, shifts Mare Crisium higher and lower, and closer and farther from the moon's edge at various times.

Monday, Nov. 24 - Inner planets meet in the morning

On Monday, Nov. 24, the brilliant planet Venus will rise over the eastern horizon about an hour before the sun. Sharp eyes and binoculars (orange circle) can look for the much fainter speck of Mercury shining about a thumb's width to Venus' lower left (or 1.6 degrees to its celestial east-northeast).

On Tuesday morning, Mercury's steady climb away from the sun will lift it a similar distance above Venus. The two innermost planets will increase their separation each morning. Be sure to turn all optical aids away from the eastern horizon well before the sun rises.

Wednesday, Nov. 26 - Moonlight tolerant stars (evening)

Only the brightest stars are visible to our unaided eyes on moonlit-flooded nights. In the western sky on Wednesday evening, Nov. 26, the very bright star Vega in the constellation of Lyra the Harp will be descending in the western sky. At magnitude 0.0, it's the 5th brightest star in the entire sky (not counting our sun). The star Altair in Aquila the Eagle, shining several fist diameters to Vega's left, has a magnitude value of 0.75, making it the 13th brightest star.

Deneb in Cygnus the Swan will be located above and between the other two, rounding out the trio of hot white stars that form the Summer Triangle asterism. At magnitude 1.25, Deneb is the 20th brightest star. Observers with a very low southwestern horizon might be able to see Fomalhaut, ranked 18th, in Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish. Over in the east, very bright yellowish Capella (ranked 6th) in Auriga will be shining to the upper left of reddish Aldebaran (ranked 14th), the eye of Taurus the Bull.

Thursday, Nov. 27 - Ceres moves eastward (all night)

On Thursday, Nov. 27, the minor planet Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt, will slow its westerly motion across the background stars of Cetus — completing a retrograde loop that it began in mid-August (red path with dates). On Thursday, the magnitude 8.5 object, which is visible in binoculars (orange circle) and backyard telescopes in any dark sky, will be located a generous thumb's width to the left (or 2.1 degrees to the celestial east-southeast) of the medium-bright star Iota Ceti or Deneb Kaitos Shemali. Over the coming evenings, Ceres will climb higher than that star and gradually return to its regular eastward motion.

Friday, Nov. 28 - First Quarter Moon

The moon will complete the first quarter of its 29.53-day trip around Earth on Friday morning, Nov. 28 at 1:59 a.m. EST or 06:59 GMT, which converts to 10:59 p.m. PST on Thursday evening. Lunar phases occur independently of Earth's rotation. First quarter moons always rise around mid-day and set around midnight, so they are also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. At first quarter, the moon's 90 degree angle from the sun causes us to see it half-illuminated on its eastern side. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the best ones for seeing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight, especially along the terminator, the pole-to-pole boundary that separates the moon's lit and dark hemispheres.

Saturday, Nov. 29 - Saturn reverses course near the moon (evening)

On Saturday, Nov. 29, Saturn's westward retrograde motion through the stars of eastern Aquarius will stop as it completes a retrograde loop that it began in mid-July. Tonight, Saturn's magnitude 1.1 yellowish dot will appear to the left of the waxing gibbous moon in the southeastern sky at dusk. The pair will climb to their highest point due south at 7:10 p.m. local time, and then set in the west around 1 a.m.

After Saturday, the moon will move away and Saturn will gradually increase its pace eastward toward Pisces. Retrograde loops occur when Earth, on a faster orbit closer to the sun, passes more distant solar system objects "on the inside track", making them appear to move backward across the stars for a while. Saturn's loop covered about a palm's width, or 6 degrees of the celestial sphere.

Visible planets

Mercury

As November opens, Mercury will continue its best evening apparition of 2025 for Southern Hemisphere observers, but a poor showing from mid-northern latitudes. The sunward swing of Mercury will carry it less than a thumb's width to the left (or 1.3 degrees to the celestial south) of Mars on Nov. 12. On that date, the magnitude 1.1 innermost planet will slightly outshine the magnitude 1.5 red planet. Viewed through a telescope in early November, Mercury will display a waning crescent phase on a disk that grows from 7 to 10 arc-seconds in diameter. Mercury will depart the western sky around mid-month, pass the sun at inferior conjunction on Nov. 20, and then emerge into the eastern morning sky at month's end, kicking off 2025's best morning appearance for the Northern Hemisphere. On Nov. 24-25, Mercury's climb away from the morning sun will bring it within two degrees to the right (or celestial north) of Venus.

Venus

Brilliant, magnitude -3.9 Venus will become increasingly difficult to see against the twilight as it drops lower and sunward in the eastern sky every morning. On the first few mornings of November, it will shine near Virgo's brightest star Spica, and then it will depart the Maiden for Libra on Nov. 13, and be accompanied by the old crescent moon on Nov. 18-19. Mercury's ascent away from the sun will bring it to within two degrees to the right (or celestial north) of Venus on Nov. 24-25. Viewed in a telescope during November, Venus will exhibit a waxing, nearly fully illuminated phase on a disk that will shrink slightly from 10.3 to 9.9 arc-seconds in diameter.

Mars

For mid-northern latitude observers, earlier sunsets and Mars' eastward orbital motion will allow the reddish planet to remain visible, albeit with increasing difficulty, just above the western horizon in early November. The planet will become lost in the bright twilight after mid-month, but its magnitude 1.4 speck will still be visible from the tropics and farther south, though too small and distant to show any details in a telescope. On Nov. 3 Mars will depart Libra for Scorpius, passing among the claw stars on Nov. 8 and then shining less than a thumb's width to the upper right (or 1.3 degrees to the celestial north) of Mercury on Nov. 12. Mars will spend the second half of November in southern Ophiuchus, joined by the very young crescent moon shining a palm's width to its south on Nov. 21.

Jupiter

In early November Jupiter will be climbing the eastern sky in the late evening. By month's end, the brilliant, magnitude -2.5 planet will be well placed for viewing from mid-evening to sunrise, when it will be shining high in the western sky. On Nov. 11, Jupiter will commence a four-month-long westward retrograde loop that will span 10 degrees of the ecliptic through central Gemini.

Binoculars will easily show Jupiter's four large Galilean moons flanking the planet. A backyard telescope will reveal its equatorial bands on a disk that grows from 40.6 to 44.2 arc-seconds during the month, while a better quality instrument will reveal the Great Red Spot every 2nd or 3rd night. Jupiter's Galilean satellites will be frequently eclipsed and occulted by the giant planet. From time to time, those moons will cast their round, black shadows on the planet, including multiple shadow transits visible in various parts of the world on Nov. 1, 5, and 21. The pretty, waning gibbous moon will create a lovely photo opportunity when it shines between Jupiter and Gemini's two brightest stars Castor and Pollux on Nov. 9.

Saturn

Saturn will be well-positioned for viewing in the evening during November. Its creamy yellow dot will pop out of the twilight in the southeast at dusk. Later, it will outshine the faint constellation stars of Aquarius, Pisces, and Cetus that surround it. On Nov. 29, Saturn's westerly retrograde motion through eastern Aquarius will slow to a stop as it prepares to resume its regular eastward trek. Far fainter Neptune will be positioned several finger widths to the left (or 4 degrees to the celestial northeast) of the ringed planet. Viewed in a telescope, Saturn will show a diminishing apparent disk diameter of about 18.5 arc-seconds and its extraordinary rings will subtend 43.1 arc-seconds. The complex orbital maneuvers of Earth and Saturn around the sun will cause Saturn's ring system to tighten up from a tilt of 0.6° to just 0.4° in the second half of the month, allowing its smaller moons to be more easily seen. Saturn's moons, with the exception of inclined Iapetus, will travel close to its ring plane and cast their tiny shadows onto the planet from time to time. The bright, waxing gibbous moon will shine several degrees away from Saturn on Nov. 1 and again on Nov. 28-29.

Uranus

Uranus will reach opposition on Nov. 21, making it an all-night target during November — especially after mid-evening, when it will be higher and most clearly viewed in a backyard telescope or binoculars. On opposition night, Uranus will be closest to Earth for this year — at a distance of 1.72 billion miles, 2.77 billion km, or 154 light-minutes. Uranus' minimum distance from Earth will boost its brightness to magnitude 5.6. It will also appear slightly larger - showing a 3.8 arc-seconds-wide disk in telescopes for a week or so centered on opposition night. All month long, Uranus' small, blue-green dot will be moving slowly retrograde westwards through western Taurus, several finger widths to the lower right (or 4 degrees to the celestial south) of the bright Pleiades Cluster. The very bright, waning gibbous moon will shine near Uranus on Nov. 5-6.

Neptune

During November, the distant, magnitude 7.8 planet Neptune will continue to lurk several finger widths to the left (or about 4 degrees to the celestial northeast) of much brighter Saturn. Both planets will climb the southeastern sky after dusk, culminate due south around 8 p.m. local time, and then sink into the trees to the west towards midnight. In a backyard telescope, Neptune's 2.3 arc-seconds disk will resemble a dull blue star. On dark, moonless nights, its large moon Triton can be observed in large telescopes.