Current Night Sky: November 2018

Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 am on Sunday, November 4, for most areas of the U.S. and Canada. In accordance with the adage, "Spring Forward, Fall Back," move your clocks back one hour; 2:00 am EDT becomes 1:00 am EST.

The Moon & Planets: 
Moon and Mars sky chart

On the evening of November 15, the Moon and Mars are within a degree - two "Moon-widths" - of each other. The two are the brightest objects on the night sky. On this evening, the Moon is just 249,500 miles away; its light takes 1.3 seconds to reach us. Mars is 83.3 million miles distant; traveling at the speed of light, it would take 7½ minutes to reach the Red Planet (November 15, 2018, 10:00 pm EST).

Leonid meteor shower

The Leonid meteors show some activity throughout November, but they peak on the night of the 17th/18th. Their paths appear to radiate from Leo, but they can appear anywhere in the sky. Like most meteor showers, they are at their best after midnight. This year the Moon accommodates that schedule, setting before 2 am and allowing uninterrupted meteor viewing until dawn (November 17, 2018, 2:00 am EDT).

Venus

Venus has rapidly transitioned from being an "evening star" to a "morning star." It reaches its greatest brilliancy as it climbs into the pre-dawn sky by month’s end (November 29, 2018; 5:22 am EST).

Evening Planets (after sunset): 
  • Mercury, SW
  • Jupiter, SW
  • Saturn, SW
  • Mars, S
  • Neptune, SE
  • Uranus, E
Morning Planets (before sunrise): 
  • Venus, SE
Comets: 

There are no comets brighter than magnitude 8 visible this month.

Meteors: 

The Leonid meteor shower peaks on November 17/18. After the Moon sets, you may see up to 15 - 20 meteors per hour.

Phases of the Moon: 
New Moon November 7 11:02 am EST
First Quarter Moon November 15 9:54 am EST
Full Moon November 23 12:39 am EST
Last Quarter Moon November 29 7:19 pm EST

Text, graphics, and animations by John Sheff. Graphics courtesy of Starry Night(©) Pro Plus 7 / Imaginova(©) Corp. Starry Night images are used with permission from Imaginova Corp. Starry Night is a registered trademark of Imaginova Corp. Star charts generated by Starry Night Pro Plus 7 © Imaginova Corp. All rights reserved. www.StarryNight.com