The Hunter's Moon shines brightly tonight. It is the first full Moon after the Harvest Moon, which this year came in October. In bygone centuries, the extra moonlight made it easier for hunters to track animals through the empty fields and beyond.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
November 4: Hunter's Moon
November 5: Perseus
Perseus, the hero, is low in the northeast at nightfall and stands directly overhead around midnight. To see it, first find nearby Cassiopeia, which looks like a letter M or W. Cassiopeia is high in the north in mid-evening, with Perseus below it.
November 6: Bright Sky
The Moon is just past full tonight, so it's a big spotlight that is in the sky almost all night. Even from locations far from city lights, the brilliant Moon can overpower much of the view of the Milky Way, meteors, and other subtle lights.
November 7: Moon and Elnath
The waning gibbous Moon climbs into good view by about 8 o'clock tonight. Elnath, the second-brightest star of Taurus, is quite close to the Moon's left or upper left. The star represents the tip of one of the bull's horns.
November 8: The Crane
Grus, the crane, strolls low across the southern horizon in early evening, with its long neck extending well up into the sky. The crane is to the lower right of Fomalhaut, the brightest star in that region.
November 9: Moon and Companions
The Moon shoots the gap between some bright companions tonight: the planet Jupiter and the star Pollux, the brighter "twin" of Gemini. They climb into good view by about 10:30 or 11, and stand high overhead at dawn tomorrow.
November 10: Makahiki
The Pleiades star cluster is just climbing into view in the evening twilight, in the east-northeast. The cluster looks like a tiny dipper, at the shoulder of the bull. In Hawaii, this appearance marked the beginning of a new year. The date was known as Makahiki.