SCIENCE

November 2025: A Stargazer's Delight

USASat Nov 01 2025

Celestial Highlights

  • Full Hunter's Supermoon
  • Date: November 6th
  • Details: Largest and brightest full moon of the year.

  • Leonid Meteor Shower
  • Dates: November 20th to 21st
  • Details: 10 to 15 meteors per hour under dark sky conditions.

  • Capella
  • Location: Northeast sky
  • Details: First bright winter star, known for its twinkling colors.

  • Milky Way
  • Visibility: Visible at the start of the month, transitioning to the Winter Milky Way.
  • Tips: Capture with a smartphone or camera using time exposures and a tripod.

  • Constellations
  • Pegasus (Great Square): Easy to spot in the eastern sky after dark.
  • Andromeda: Contains the Andromeda Galaxy, the farthest object visible to the naked eye.
  • Distance: 2.5 million light-years away.

  • Planetary Views
  • Saturn and the Moon: November 5th, rising close together in the east.
  • Jupiter: Bright and visible in the northeast during the evening.
  • Saturn: High in the southeast after dark, offering a great view of its rings through a telescope.
  • Uranus and Neptune: Visible in the eastern sky after dark, but require a telescope for clear observation.

Local Events

  • Shenandoah National Park's Big Meadows: Excellent dark sky site.
  • NOVAC General Meeting at George Mason University: Astronomy events.
  • Analemma Society: Friday Night Public Viewing Sessions at Turner Farm in Great Falls, Virginia.
  • Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Astronomy-related activities.

Resources

  • NASA's 2025 Science Calendar: Stunning pictures and information.
  • Planetary Society's Space Events 2025 Calendar: Track space missions.
  • Custom Star Chart: Create for your location to navigate the stars.

questions

    How does the position of Capella in the northeast sky influence its visibility and the colors it exhibits?
    Are the time exposures used to image the Milky Way actually capturing something more sinister, like secret space missions?
    If the Leonid meteor shower were a party, what kind of snacks would the meteors bring?

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