As we continue to make our way through the fall months, November is sure to bring fans of the night sky just as many exciting viewing and learning opportunities as the rest of the year. From the largest full moon of 2025 to two distinct meteor showers, here are some of November’s most anticipated astronomical phenomena.
Though the full moon of November, also known as the Super Beaver Moon, will reach its peak illumination at 8:19 AM (Eastern Time) on November 5, the best viewing times for hopeful observers will be in the evenings of November 4 and November 5. This will be the second of three “supermoons” of the year, with the other two falling on October 7 and December 4. Supermoons are defined as full moons that occur when the moon is at – or near – its closest point to Earth, or, more specifically, within 90% of that closest point. The Super Beaver Moon will be the largest and brightest moon of 2025, due to it being almost ten thousand kilometers closer to the planet than it was for October’s dramatic full moon display, and overall the closest that it will be all year. This particular moon is nicknamed for the beavers that typically begin settling down in their shelters during this period, and it has also been referred to as the Frost Moon, the Whitefish Moon, and the Digging Moon.
The Northern Taurids meteor shower will be reaching its height of activity on November 11. Due to the fact that this shower has a much longer duration than many of the other annual showers – Northern Taurids can typically be spotted in the time between mid-October and mid-December – its meteors are quite spread out, contributing to a fairly low rate of five visible meteors an hour. Even though the Northern Taurids are known for producing bright fireballs, the interfering light from the recent full moon will make it even harder to catch this minor shower, meaning that any meteor enthusiasts would have a far better chance at catching a glimpse of this month’s more plentiful shower instead.
The second meteor shower of November, or the Leonids shower, is expected to peak during the night between November 17 and November 18. Typically active between early November to early December, the Leonids are a moderate but consistent shower with an average rate of fifteen meteors every hour. However, the Leonids are unique in other ways, including their extreme speeds (according to NASA, Leonid meteors can travel at speeds up to 71 kilometres per second) and the long, glowing trails they leave in their wake. Additionally, every 33 or so years, this meteor shower transforms into a meteor storm. Meteor storms are defined as showers that produce at least 1000 meteors each hour, but the Leonids have certainly surpassed this expectation in the past – the 1833 Leonids shower had observers in North America spotting over 100,000 in the same night, a sight that ended up prompting the first ever official study of meteor showers. The next major Leonid shower is not predicted to occur until 2035, but this year is sure to guarantee an exciting sight nonetheless!
Overall, this month will certainly contain a variety of exciting astronomical events for all, especially for any meteor shower enjoyers. Whether you choose to make an attempt at spotting one of the few visible Northern Taurid meteors or would rather photograph the brightest supermoon of the year, November is sure to contain plenty of astronomy observation opportunities for everyone.