October 31, 2026
Halloween
As night falls, the star Algol is in the northeast, in Perseus the hero. Its name means “the demon star.” It represents Medusa, a monster who turned anyone who looked at her to stone. Her sisters, the other Gorgons, are represented by fainter stars near Algol.
November 1, 2026
Moon and Companions
There’s a spectacular lineup in the wee hours of the morning the next couple of days: the Moon, the planets Mars and Jupiter, and the star Regulus. The entire lineup is high in the sky at first light. Tomorrow, Mars will be especially close to the Moon.
November 2, 2026
Moon and Companions
The waning Moon anchors a beautiful lineup in tomorrow’s early-morning sky. At dawn, the star Regulus, the heart of the lion, is close above the Moon. The brilliant planet Jupiter is to the upper right of the Moon, with Mars a little farther along the same line.
November 3, 2026
Pegasus
Pegasus, the flying horse, gallops across the sky tonight. The constellation’s most prominent feature is the Great Square — four relatively bright stars that stand high in the east and southeast as darkness falls.
November 4, 2026
Triangulum
A thin wedge of stars climbs the eastern sky on November evenings. It is the constellation Triangulum. It fills an otherwise dark space between the well-known constellations Aries, Perseus, and Andromeda.
November 5, 2026
Moon and Venus
Two crescents hang out in the twilight the next couple of mornings: the Moon and the planet Venus. They are quite low in the east at dawn. Venus is the Morning Star. It is below the Moon tomorrow, but will be quite close above the Moon on Saturday.
November 6, 2026
Dawn Trio
A tight triangle formed by the Moon, the planet Venus, and the star Spica is in the east-southeast as dawn twilight paints the sky. The group is quite low, so there’s not much time to look for it. And you will need a clear eastern horizon.
November 7, 2026
Mars and Jupiter
The planets Jupiter and Mars climb into good view in the east by about 2 a.m. and are high in the sky at dawn. Jupiter is the third-brightest object in the night sky. Mars rises close above it. It’s fainter than Jupiter, but brighter than most of the true stars.
November 8, 2026
Morning vs. Evening
The planet Venus is climbing higher into the morning sky day by day. It will reign as the Morning Star until summer, when it will pass behind the Sun. It will return to view as the evening star in the fall.
November 9, 2026
Faint Neighbor
Barnard’s Star is six light-years away, making it the second-closest star system to the Sun. It is well up in the west-southwest at nightfall, not far from the brightest star of Ophiuchus. But it’s so faint that you need a telescope to pick it out.
November 10, 2026
November Milky Way
November evenings are good times to watch the Milky Way, the combined glow of millions of stars in our home galaxy. It arches from east to west, with a dip toward the northern horizon. You need a dark sky to see it, far from the glare of city lights.
November 11, 2026
Martinmas
Today is Martinmas, a celebration of a “cross-quarter” day. These days fall about half way between a solstice and an equinox. In times gone by, they represented the start of the seasons. Martinmas honors Saint Martin of Tours, who was executed in the year 397.
November 12, 2026
Gemini Twins
Gemini is known for its brightest stars, Pollux and Castor, which mark the heads of the mythological twins. The stars climb into view, in the east-northeast, by about 10 p.m. Castor stands a bit above its brighter “twin.”
November 13, 2026
Mars and Jupiter II
Mars and Jupiter huddle close together the next few mornings, high in the sky at dawn. Jupiter looks like a brilliant star. Mars is quite close to it as they rise tomorrow. At their closest, they will be separated by about one degree.
November 14, 2026
Aries
Aries, the ram, is well up in the east at nightfall, and stands due south a few hours later. Despite its fame as a member of the zodiac, it includes only three bright stars. A fourth star is added to create a stick figure that looks like a lopsided boomerang.
November 15, 2026
Capella
Capella is the brightest star of the constellation Auriga the charioteer and the sixth-brightest star in the night sky. It is low in the northeast at nightfall and soars high across the sky during the night.
November 16, 2026
Leonid Meteors
The quiet but steady Leonid meteor shower should be at its peak over the next night or two. The Moon sets before midnight, so it won’t spoil the display. At the shower’s best, you might see a dozen or more “shooting stars” per hour.
November 17, 2026
First-Quarter Moon
The Moon is at first quarter early today, indicating that it is a quarter of the way through its month-long cycle of phases. At that moment, sunlight illuminates exactly half of the lunar hemisphere that faces Earth.
November 18, 2026
Aquarius Stream
The Moon is crossing a stream tonight. It’s the mythological stream of water that’s pouring from the jar of Aquarius the water-bearer. It’s a trickle of faint stars that can be tough to make out through the moonlight.
November 19, 2026
Arrival at Mercury
The planet Mercury is low in the east-southeast at dawn. It looks like a bright star. It is well to the lower left of much brighter Venus, the Morning Star. A pair of European spacecraft is scheduled to enter orbit around Mercury on Saturday.
November 20, 2026
Morning Planets
Four planets are in good view at dawn. Mercury is low in the east-southeast and looks like a bright star. Venus, the Morning Star, is well to its upper right. The highlight is a close encounter between Mars and Jupiter, high in the south.
November 21, 2026
Beta Pegasi
The Great Square of Pegasus passes high overhead this evening. The star at its northwestern corner, Beta Pegasi, is a red giant. The star is nearing the end of its life, so it has puffed up to gigantic proportions.
November 22, 2026
Dizzy Star
The “head” of Ophiuchus the serpent-bearer, the star Rasalhague, spins at more than 500,000 miles per hour. That’s almost fast enough to tear the star apart. The star is in the west as night falls. It’s fairly bright, so it’s easily visible to the naked eye.
November 23, 2026
Venus and Spica
The planet Venus and the star Spica are standing side by side in the dawn sky. They’re well up in the southeast at the first blush of twilight. Venus is the brilliant Morning Star. Spica is quite close to the right or lower right of Venus.
November 24, 2026
Moon and Taurus
Taurus climbs into view in the east in early evening, with the Moon near its middle. Aldebaran, the bull’s eye and the constellation’s brightest star, is to the lower right of the Moon. Number two is Elnath, the tip of one of the horns, to the lower left of the Moon.
November 25, 2026
Cassiopeia
Beautiful Cassiopeia circles high across the northern sky on autumn evenings. Its brightest stars form a letter M or W, which is easy to pick out. In western culture, the constellation represented the mythological queen of Ethiopia.
November 26, 2026
Uranus Opposition
Uranus lines up opposite the Sun now, so it’s in view all night. It’s also closest to us, so it shines at its brightest. The planet in the east-northeast at nightfall. Through binoculars, it looks like a faint star well above Aldebaran, the “eye” of the bull.
November 27, 2026
Uranus Opposition II
Uranus is at its best now. It’s in view all night, and it’s brightest for the year as well. Even so, you need binoculars to find it. It’s in the eastern sky in early evening, above the bright star Aldebaran.
November 28, 2026
Skull Nebula
The Skull Nebula is the stripped-off “skin” of a once-mighty star. All that remains of the star is its dying core. The nebula is in the southeast at nightfall, below the bright planet Saturn. But you need a telescope to see the skull’s ghostly grin.
November 29, 2026
Moon and Companions
A tight grouping of the Moon and three bright points of light cruises across the sky tonight. In order of brightness, they are the planets Jupiter and Mars and the star Regulus. Jupiter is especially close to the Moon. The group is high in the sky at dawn.