Night sky November 2026 — What to look for in the sky this month

Look up this month and you could be treated to a sky full of amazing sights.

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.

Monthly sky watching information is provided to Space.com by Jules-Pierre Malartre of Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on X @StarryNightEdu.

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

Sunday, Nov. 1 — The moon in the Beehive Cluster (predawn)

Step outside in the early morning to spot the moon passing near the Beehive Cluster (M44). Daylight Saving Time also ends today, meaning darkness now arrives an hour earlier in the evening for late-night skywatchers.

A medium-sized telescope will resolve the cluster's dozens of stars sprinkled around the lunar glare.

For quick imaging, holding a smartphone to the eyepiece and tapping the screen on the moon can lock the exposure, preventing the bright lunar surface from washing out the cluster.

To see the faintest stars closer to the moon's edge, use averted vision by looking slightly away from the moon to engage your eye's more light-sensitive peripheral rods.

Monday, Nov. 2 — Mars near the moon (predawn)

A beautiful conjunction (and an actual occultation in certain areas) occurs as Mars passes near the moon in the morning sky.

Naked-eye observers will easily spot the Red Planet shining steadily near the half-illuminated lunar disk.

More advanced equipment can push the magnification to spot Mars's subtle surface features and polar ice caps contrasting with the moon's craters.

A standard DSLR camera on a tripod with a 200 mm lens is the perfect setup for capturing this pairing. Bracket your exposures to get both the moon's Earthshine and Mars's color.

Tuesday, Nov. 3 — Regulus and Jupiter near the moon (predawn)

The bright star Regulus passes close to the moon, creating a striking pairing. Around the same time, brilliant Jupiter also sits nearby, a few degrees away.

The gas giant can be seen with the naked eye dominating the sky right next to our lunar neighbor.

At high power, a telescope will reveal Jupiter's equatorial bands alongside the rugged lunar terminator.

Photographers can easily image this encounter using a smartphone resting on a stable surface.

If the moon appears too bright at the eyepiece, slightly defocus the optics to spread the lunar light, which will make the subtle colors of Jupiter's cloud bands easier to discern.

Wednesday, Nov. 4 — The Andromeda Galaxy

As autumn deepens, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) reaches an ideal position high overhead in the evening sky.

This is the most distant astronomical object visible to the naked eye (under dark rural skies), even though it appears merely as a faint smudge of light.

Observers using wide-field refracting telescopes can trace the galaxy's dust lanes and spot its two satellite galaxies: M32 and M110.

A DSLR camera mounted on a basic tracking mount can snap pictures that will reveal M31's spiral arms with a few stacked minutes of exposure.

While observing the Andromeda Galaxy through your telescope, lightly tap the side of the tube; the slight jiggling motion will trigger the eye's motion-detecting cells, which will make the faint outer edges of the galaxy pop into view.

Thursday, Nov. 5 — Southern Taurid meteor shower peak (predawn)

The Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches its approximate peak around this time, bringing slow-moving, bright fireballs to the night sky.

No astronomical equipment is required to watch this event—except for a lawn chair, a warm blanket, and a cup of hot cocoa. This is not one of the most momentous showers of the year, as it only delivers a modest sprinkle of meteors (roughly 5 to 10 per hour) throughout the night. However, even seasoned meteor hunters will definitely appreciate the long, lingering trails that are the main characteristic of this shower.

Generally, meteor showers are best observed after midnight when our side of the Earth rotates to plow head-on into the comet's debris stream (left behind by Comet 2P/Encke). However, since the waning crescent moon rises in the wee hours tonight, your absolute best viewing window is right around midnight to 1:00 or 1:30 a.m., before the moonlight starts interfering.

To photograph the fireballs, set up a camera on a tripod with a wide-angle lens. Open the aperture wide and run continuous 20-second exposures.

Keep your eyes focused about 45 degrees away from the radiant point in Taurus, as meteors appearing further away will display longer, more spectacular trails.

Friday, Nov. 6 — Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS

Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is active in the Northern Hemisphere evening sky. The sky this evening provides a few hours to view this traveler before it sets below the horizon around 11:30 p.m.

161P/Hartley-IRAS will not provide a sweeping celestial spectacle with a roaring tail; it will display a subtle, ghostly patch of gray light that barely stands out from the dark background sky.

You can use large binoculars under pristine dark skies to hunt for its faint, fuzzy glow, though full dark adaptation and patience will be essential.

Observers using medium-sized telescopes will have the best success tracking its exact position and teasing out any hint of a coma.

Astrophotographers should use tracking mounts to take multiple long exposures, later stacking them, aligned on the comet's nucleus rather than the background stars.

Saturday, Nov. 7 — Venus, Spica, and the lunar crescent (predawn)

Bright Venus passes beautifully close to the thin crescent moon and the star Spica this morning. For observers in extreme southern locations, this event is actually a full lunar occultation with the moon passing directly in front of Venus, but for North America and most of the world, it will be a spectacularly close approach.

Because this trio rises just ahead of the sun, the best observing window for the East Coast of North America is a tight timeframe between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

You will absolutely need a clear, unobstructed view of the east-southeastern horizon—like looking over a lake or a large field — as the grouping will appear very low above the horizon before the rising sun washes them out.

Try to spot the trio closer to 6:00 a.m.; while Venus and the moon are bright enough to pierce the brightening dawn, the star Spica will quickly fade into the twilight as 6:30 a.m. approaches.

Observers pointing a telescope at Venus will be treated to a razor-thin crescent phase that mimics the moon's shape.

Smartphone astrophotographers can capture this dawn alignment by resting their phone on a stable surface and using a 3-second timer.

Since the sun is rising very close behind this celestial grouping, exercise extreme caution when using binoculars or telescopes. Never point any optical device directly at the sun, as doing so — even inadvertently — can cause severe and permanent eye damage. The safest approach is to position yourself so that a solid physical structure, like a shed or opaque wall, sits directly between your equipment and the point on the horizon where the sun will rise, physically blocking any accidental view of the solar disk.

Sunday, Nov. 8 — The Pegasus Globular Cluster

Use the moon's absence from the night sky this evening to hunt down one of the oldest and most densely packed globular clusters in the Milky Way.

Observers with binoculars can scan just off the "nose" of the constellation Pegasus to find the M15 Globular Cluster, which will look like a soft, fuzzy out-of-focus star.

If you point a telescope at the cluster, you will be able to resolve individual stars around its brilliant, tightly packed core.

You can image this ancient stellar jewel box by taking several short, stacked exposures. Be mindful not to overexpose the image, as the cluster's incredibly dense center easily blows out and the image could lose detail.

M15 is one of the very few globular clusters thought to harbor a planetary nebula and a central black hole. Because it is so compact, use your highest practical magnification to really darken the background sky and pull out the individual outer stars.

Monday, Nov. 9 — Northern Taurid Meteors and new moon

Tonight's new moon delivers completely dark, pitch-black skies, creating optimal conditions to watch for the Northern Taurid meteor shower. Although the shower's technical peak occurs closer to Nov. 12, the total absence of moonlight makes tonight—and the next few nights—the absolute best window to spot these slow-moving fireballs.

Meteor hunters need no special equipment; simply lie back in a reclining chair facing away from local light sources. You can trace meteor paths backward toward the constellation Taurus to distinguish Taurid fireballs from background sporadic meteors.

Taurids are famous for long, luminous trails rather than rapid-fire meteors; so, set a camera on a tripod for continuous wide-field 20-second exposures to maximize your chances of imaging a bright fireball.

Tuesday, Nov. 10 — Jupiter's Great Red Spot transit (predawn)

To catch Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) today, you will need to be at your eyepiece just after the calendar flips to the 10th.

Although the storm crosses Jupiter's central meridian at 11:19 p.m. EST on the night of Nov. 9 (04:19 UTC), the planet itself does not clear the horizon until closer to midnight.

By waiting until around 1:00 a.m., Jupiter will have climbed sufficiently high above the eastern horizon to provide a steady view, and you will spot the GRS as it rotates toward the western edge of the planet's face.

Observers using small telescopes can easily spot Jupiter's main equatorial cloud belts and should look for the "hollow" where the storm sits. Advanced observers using larger aperture telescopes (under good seeing conditions) can resolve the actual swirling brick-red color of the massive anticyclone.

Planetary astrophotographers should shoot high-speed video using a dedicated CMOS camera and "lucky image" stacking software to freeze the atmospheric turbulence.

A light-blue or green color filter threaded into your eyepiece will dramatically boost the contrast of the Great Red Spot against the surrounding pale zones.

Wednesday, Nov. 11 — Comet 10P/Tempel 2

Comet 10P/Tempel 2 sits low over the evening horizon in the Northern Hemisphere as it fades past its August perihelion.

Comet chasers will need a completely dark sky and a good star chart to have a chance of spotting it. Advanced observers will find this a rewarding challenge accessible via small to medium amateur telescopes.

For imaging, a fast telescope (f/4 or lower) on a motorized equatorial mount is ideal to capture enough photons from this dim, receding icy visitor.

When scanning the sky for the comet, gently sweep the telescope back and forth across the comet's suspected location; the human eye is highly sensitive to movement, making the faint smudge easier to detect against the static stars.

Thursday, Nov. 12 — The Pleiades (evening)

The Pleiades open star cluster (M45) is rising prominently in the east, serving as a perfect fall target.

Naked-eye observers can easily spot this tightly packed group, sometimes mistaking it for (a diminutive version of) the Little Dipper. Observers using wide-field binoculars or short-tube refractors will be treated to dozens of brilliant blue-white stars resembling scattered diamonds on black velvet.

Several hours of tracked exposures can capture the delicate, wispy blue reflection nebula surrounding the brightest stars.

Avoid using high magnification on the Pleiades; use your lowest power, widest-field eyepiece instead. This will frame the entire cluster and showcase its breathtaking overall appearance.

Friday, Nov. 13 — Kemble's Cascade

Tonight's dark skies provide a great opportunity to explore Kemble's Cascade, a breathtaking asterism stretching across the faint northern constellation of Camelopardalis.

Standard binoculars will treat you to a stunning, straight line of more than 20 colorful stars that looks like a cosmic waterfall tumbling through the Milky Way.

Observers using a wide-field telescope can follow the "cascade" down to its splashing point: the compact open star cluster NGC 1502.

You can capture this entire stellar stream with a DSLR camera and a standard 50 mm to 100 mm lens mounted on a simple star tracker.

Because this target stretches over two full degrees of the sky (roughly four times the width of the full moon), avoid using high-magnification eyepieces; a finderscope or low-power wide-field eyepiece will provide the most spectacular view.

Saturday, Nov. 14 — The Double Cluster in Perseus

The Double Cluster in Perseus stands high in the autumn night sky, which makes it a spectacular target.

You can spot it with the naked eye under dark sky conditions. It appears as a glowing patch between Perseus and Cassiopeia.

A telescope will reveal it as two distinct, densely packed stellar groups in the same field of view, including subtle red supergiant stars mixed with blue-white main sequence stars.

A DSLR camera, a modest zoom lens, and a tracking mount suffice to image the Double Cluster. Short 30-second exposures will work beautifully.

Use an eyepiece that yields a 1.5-degree (approximately) true field of view to perfectly frame both clusters simultaneously while including a pleasing all-around dark sky border.

Sunday, Nov. 15 — Mars and Jupiter conjunction (predawn)

A beautiful planetary conjunction is visible this morning as Mars passes near Jupiter.

While the pair officially rises just before midnight, they are much too low on the horizon to observe clearly. Instead, step outside in the predawn hours — between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. — when both planets are brilliantly placed high in the southeastern sky.

Look up to see the striking color contrast between the bright, creamy-white light of Jupiter and the distinctly rusty hue of Mars.

A pair of binoculars or a small telescope will improve the view greatly. Not only will you be able to frame both planets together, but you will also easily spot several of Jupiter's bright Galilean moons flanking the gas giant.

Observers using a wide-field eyepiece can enjoy a direct comparison of Jupiter's cloud bands alongside Mars's tiny, ruddy disk.

Monday, Nov. 16 — The Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula (M42) is rising beautifully in the late evening sky as winter approaches.

You can easily spot it as the fuzzy "star" in the middle of Orion's sword, hanging below his prominent belt.

A medium or large telescope will allow you to marvel at the glowing clouds of gas and dust, along with the tight Trapezium cluster of young stars at its heart.

A DSLR camera on a basic star tracker with just a minute or two of exposure will vividly capture the nebula's pink and teal hues.

Spend a few minutes just looking at the core of the nebula. As your eye relaxes, the delicate outer "wings" will gradually stretch further across your field of view.

Tuesday, Nov. 17 — The Double Star Eta Cassiopeiae

With Cassiopeia positioned high in the northern sky, tonight provides a fantastic opportunity to target Achird (Eta Cassiopeiae), one of the finest double stars of the season.

By scanning the iconic "W" shape of Cassiopeia with binoculars, you can easily locate this star sitting between the constellation's brighter points.

Using a telescope at moderate magnification, you will be treated to a beautiful color contrast: a brilliant golden-yellow primary star paired with a much dimmer, rusty-orange companion.

You can image this pair by taking very short exposures, but make sure that the bright primary star doesn't overwhelm the delicate color of the smaller star.

To make the subtle orange and red hues of the companion star pop, stare directly at the bright yellow primary for a few seconds, then let your vision drift slightly to the side.

Wednesday, Nov. 18 — Leonid Meteors peak (predawn)

The famous Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak around this time ( 00:00 UTC Nov. 18, or 7:00 p.m. EST on Nov. 17).

However, because the radiant in Leo does not rise until around midnight and the moon sets at the same time, the pitch-black predawn of Nov. 18 between 1:00 a.m. and dawn is your best viewing window.

You can simply lie back in a reclining chair facing east or southeast to catch these famously fast, bright meteors. The shower is known to produce roughly a dozen meteors per hour.

Advanced observers can trace meteor trails back toward Leo to distinguish them from random sporadic meteors.

The meteor shower also provides another great opportunity to observe Mars and Jupiter, still close together following their recent Nov. 15 conjunction. They make an interesting pair to gaze at while you wait for the next meteor to streak by.

Keep your eyes focused roughly 45 degrees away from the radiant point in Leo, as meteors appearing farther away will display longer, more spectacular streaks.

Thursday, Nov. 19 — Venus near Spica (predawn)

In the early morning sky, brilliant Venus remains near the bright blue-white star Spica. Observers will enjoy the beautiful naked-eye view of these two bright celestial beacons shining near each other in the predawn sky.

You can use a telescope to observe the distinct phases of Venus while framing Spica in the same general field of view for a stark comparison between a local planet and a distant sun.

A simple camera on a tripod will capture the pair beautifully against the twilight colors.

Friday, Nov. 20 — The Owl Cluster

In the constellation Cassiopeia sits the striking Owl Cluster (NGC 457), one of autumn's showpiece targets.

Observers with binoculars can find this starry grouping, which genuinely resembles a stick-figure owl with two bright stars for eyes.

The view from a telescope will allow you to appreciate the rich field of fainter stars that make up the "wings" and "body" of the owl.

A smartphone mounted to a telescope will easily record the two bright "eyes" and the fainter cluster members.

Defocus your telescope just a tiny bit when observing open clusters like this one; spreading the starlight slightly enhances the perception of star colors, contrasting the yellowish and bluish members.

Saturday, Nov. 21 — Spot Mercury in the predawn sky

This morning provides a great window to try and spot the elusive little planet.

Be prepared for a very narrow observing window right around 6:00 a.m., when Mercury is highest above the eastern horizon before the sun rises at 6:49 a.m. You can look low toward the eastern sky during this brief period to catch its bright, starlike glimmer.

Using a telescope, you can try to resolve its tiny, partially lit phase before the brightening dawn washes it out. Position yourself carefully so you have a totally flat, open view of the eastern horizon, as even low trees or fences will easily block the low-lying planet.

You can capture Mercury hovering above the horizon with a zoom lens and a short exposure to freeze the twilight.

Since the sun is rising very closely behind Mercury, exercise extreme caution when using binoculars or telescopes. Never point any optical device directly at the sun, as doing so—even inadvertently—can cause severe and permanent eye damage. The safest approach is to position yourself so that a solid physical structure, like a shed or opaque wall, sits directly between your equipment and the point on the horizon where the sun will rise, physically blocking any accidental view of the solar disk.

Sunday, Nov. 22 — The Ring Nebula

The Ring Nebula (M57) in Lyra is a quintessential autumn deep-sky target.

A small telescope will reveal it as a tiny, ghostly smoke ring floating among the stars. Telescopes with larger apertures might catch (under steady seeing conditions) a fleeting glimpse of the incredibly faint white dwarf star at the exact center of the ring.

With the nearly full moon blazing in the east tonight, skyglow will wash out fainter deep-sky targets, but M57's relatively high surface brightness makes it a great candidate to pierce through the glare.

Shoot short, high-gain exposures on a tracking mount to capture the vivid red and green edges of the expanding gas shell.

A narrowband Oxygen-III (O-III) filter will do magic on the Ring Nebula, darkening the background sky while allowing its specific glowing light to shine through brightly.

Monday, Nov. 23 — Eclipse of Jupiter's moon Io (predawn)

At 2:24 a.m. EST (07:24 UTC), observers can witness a dramatic celestial disappearing act as Jupiter's moon Io is totally eclipsed.

What makes this event so fascinating in a telescope is that Io does not hide behind Jupiter's physical disk (as in an occultation); instead, it plunges into Jupiter's massive shadow cone cast out into open space.

As a result, Io will appear to simply vanish into the dark void a short distance away from the planet's edge.

Observers with binoculars or a small telescope can enjoy tracking the arrangement of the remaining moons. Medium-to-high magnification will show Io rapidly dim and disappear over just a few seconds.

Start observing by 2:15 a.m. EST so your eyes have enough time to adapt to the eyepiece; watching a brilliant point of light abruptly blink out in open space is one of the most thrilling sights in planetary observing.

Tuesday, Nov. 24 — Full moon and the Pleiades

The full moon blazes in the night sky, positioned generally near the gorgeous Pleiades star cluster.

Step outside to admire the bright moonlight illuminating the nighttime landscape, while looking for the cluster's brightest stars cutting through the glare. Advanced observers can use the bright lunar surface to test the optical quality of their eyepieces, looking for crisp crater details right on the moon's edge where the contrast is highest.

Astrophotographers can try a challenging high-dynamic-range (HDR) composite, taking fast exposures for the moon and longer ones for the surrounding stars.

Since the full moon washes out most deep-sky objects, use this brilliantly lit night to inspect and perfectly align your telescope's finder scope on the stark lunar disk.

Wednesday, Nov. 25 — Uranus at opposition & Reiner Gamma's lunar mystery

Tonight brings two remarkable targets to the autumn sky: the planet Uranus reaching opposition, and a bizarre feature on the brightly lit moon.

Uranus sits directly opposite the sun tonight, making its closest approach to Earth and shining at its brightest for the year. Because it is faint, use the brilliant Pleiades star cluster (M45) as your springboard; Uranus sits almost directly below the Pleiades. Binoculars will reveal it as a tiny, cyan-tinted point of light, though using a planetarium app will help you confirm it against nearby background stars.

Meanwhile, tonight's bright, post-full moon washes out traditional elevation shadows across most crater walls, making it the perfect time to explore albedo features — surface markings defined purely by differences in reflectivity rather than topography.

Direct your telescope to Oceanus Procellarum on the western limb to spot Reiner Gamma, one of the most exotic features on the moon. Reiner Gamma is not a crater or mountain, but an enigmatic, flat "lunar swirl" tied to localized magnetic anomalies in the lunar crust.

A small telescope (60 mm to 80 mm) will reveal a ghostly, tadpole-shaped smudge glowing against the dark basaltic plains. A larger telescope (6-inch diameter or greater) will resolve intricate, interlocking wisps and loop-like filaments—confirming that, despite its brilliant glare, it casts zero shadows, proving it is entirely flat.

For Reiner Gamma, bump up your magnification slightly to restrict the field of view; isolating the swirl from the surrounding glare of the lunar disk will make its delicate, wispy boundaries pop with far better contrast.

Thursday, Nov. 26 — The double star Mesarthim (evening)

Given that the brightly illuminated moon dominates the eastern sky tonight, faint deep-sky objects are washed out, which makes this evening the perfect time to target brilliant star systems positioned away from the lunar glare.

Look high in the southern sky toward the constellation Aries to find Mesarthim (Gamma Arietis). To the naked eye or through binoculars, it appears as a solitary, modest point of light safely distanced from the moon's interfering glow.

However, pointing a small telescope at this star and applying medium magnification will reveal a stunning stellar image; the star cleanly splits into two perfectly matched, brilliant white headlights sitting side-by-side.

Both stars are almost identical in brightness and color temperature, which makes them a fantastic test for telescope optics and atmospheric seeing conditions.

Smartphone astrophotographers can easily capture this binary pair by attaching their camera to a moderate-power eyepiece. Manually lower the exposure time to ensure the two distinct points of light don't bloom and blur into a single overexposed oval.

Because tight double stars require decent magnification to split cleanly, always make sure your telescope has had at least 30 to 45 minutes to acclimate to the outdoor temperature. If the mirror or lenses are still warm from being inside, internal heat currents in the optical tube will cause the stars to boil and blur together in the eyepiece.

Friday, Nov. 27 — The Garnet Star (evening)

High in the northern sky sits Mu Cephei, famously known as Herschel's Garnet Star.

Sweeping the constellation Cepheus with binoculars will reveal its incredibly deep, glowing orange-red color compared to the surrounding white stars.

You can monitor this supergiant star over time, as it is a variable star that slowly changes in brightness.

You can image its striking hue simply by taking a slightly out-of-focus image of the star field, which spreads the light and saturates the color on the camera sensor.

To make the red color pop even more vibrantly, look at a bright white star like Vega first, then quickly swing the telescope over to the Garnet Star to heavily contrast the color difference in your eye.

Saturday, Nov. 28 — Caroline's Rose (evening)

Caroline's Rose (NGC 7789) is a beautiful open star cluster tucked away in Cassiopeia. Binoculars will reveal it as a soft, hazy patch of light set against the rich Milky Way background.

A telescope will help you discover hundreds of faint stars arranged in looping patterns that genuinely resemble the swirling petals of a rose.

This cluster is a wonderful imaging target that responds well to moderate exposures, capturing the delicate spray of stars without overexposing the dense core.

A dark sky is essential for open clusters like this; cup your hands around the eyepiece to block any stray neighborhood light from hitting your eye while observing.

Sunday, Nov. 29 — Venus blazes in the morning sky (predawn)

Step outside before dawn this morning to catch Venus blazing brilliantly in the eastern twilight. Following its recent inferior conjunction, Venus is currently near its greatest illuminated extent—a cosmic sweet spot combining a large apparent disk size with a widening crescent phase.

Looking toward the eastern sky between 4:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., you will easily spot the "morning star" dominating the pre-sunrise horizon. Using a small telescope, you will be treated to a striking, sharp crescent phase.

You can capture Venus hovering above dawn landscapes with a standard zoom lens or attach a telescope to record the crisp tips of its crescent.

Observe Venus as twilight begins to brighten the sky; the blue sky background naturally reduces the planet's intense glare in the eyepiece, making the shape of the crescent much sharper to human eyes.

Monday, Nov. 30 — Late-night planetary and lunar gathering (late night)

November's night sky ends with a beautiful celestial gathering as the moon sits in the approximate vicinity of Jupiter, Mars, and the bright star Regulus. While our observation officially anchors in the final minutes of Nov. 30 as the moon first peeks above the eastern horizon, this parade of solar system heavyweights carries naturally into the early morning hours of December 1.

You can enjoy this alignment with the naked eye. You will easily spot the moon alongside the brilliant creamy light of Jupiter and the distinctly ruddy hue of Mars. Note the strong contrast between the bright white glare of Jupiter and the reddish tint of Mars.

If you are using a telescope, take turns pointing it at each planetary target, comparing the atmospheric bands of Jupiter with whatever Martian surface details the seeing conditions allow.

A smartphone on a tripod using night mode is the perfect tool to capture this wide grouping above the local landscape.

While you can catch the initial moonrise about 30 minutes before midnight, hold off using high magnification until after 1:00 a.m. Giving the moon and planets an extra hour or two to climb out of the thick "atmospheric soup" near the horizon will yield vastly sharper, less turbulent surface details through your eyepiece.

Skywatching terms

Gibbous: Used to describe a planet or moon that is more than 50% illuminated.

Asterism: A noteworthy or striking pattern of stars within a larger constellation.

Degrees (measuring the sky): The sky is 360 degrees all the way around, which means roughly 180 degrees from horizon to horizon. It's easy to measure distances between objects: Your fist on an outstretched arm covers about 10 degrees of sky, while a finger covers about one degree.

Visual Magnitude: This is the astronomer's scale for measuring the brightness of objects in the sky. The dimmest object visible in the night sky under perfectly dark conditions is about magnitude 6.5. Brighter stars are magnitude 2 or 1. The brightest objects get negative numbers. Venus can be as bright as magnitude -4.9. The full moon is -12.7 and the sun is -26.8.

Terminator: The boundary on the moon between sunlight and shadow.

Zenith: The point in the sky directly overhead.

Night sky observing tips

Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe fainter objects, such as meteors, dim stars, nebulas, and galaxies, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Avoid looking at your phone's bright screen by keeping it tucked away. If you must use it, set the brightness to minimum — or cover it with clingy red film.

Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars, and the brightest planets — if they are above the horizon. But to fully enjoy the heavens — especially a meteor shower, the fainter constellations, or to see the amazing swath across the sky that is the disk of our home galaxy, the Milky Way — rural areas are best for night sky viewing. If you're stuck in a city or suburban area, use a tree or dark building to block ambient light (or moonlight) and help reveal fainter sky objects. If you're in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help.

Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be outside for more than a few minutes, and it's not a warm summer evening, dress more warmly than you think is necessary. An hour of winter observing can chill you to the bone. For meteor showers, a blanket or a lounge chair will prove to be much more comfortable than standing or sitting in a chair and craning your neck to see overhead.

Daytime skywatching: On the days surrounding the first quarter, the moon is visible in the afternoon daytime sky. At last quarter, the moon rises before sunrise and lingers in the morning sky. When Venus is at a significant angle away from the sun, it can often be spotted during the day as a brilliant point of light — but you'll need to consult an astronomy app to know when and where to look for it. When large sunspots develop on the sun, they can be seen without a telescope — as long as you use proper solar filters, such as eclipse glasses. Permanent eye damage can occur if you look at the sun for any length of time without protective eyewear.