Although we don’t expect much from November in terms of prolific meteor showers this year, there are still a few meteor streams worth checking out. Here’s a list of five showers reaching their peaks of activity this month.
We also recommend you to read our earlier article if you want to get useful tips on observing meteors.
November 4–5: Southern Taurids
- ZHR: 5
- Moon illumination: 0%
- Active: September 10 — November 20
- Radiant location: constellation Taurus
- Visible from: everywhere
The Southern Taurids have already peaked on October 10, and soon we’ll witness another peak of their activity. This meteor shower is one of the two branches of the large Taurids meteor stream, which is associated with comet Encke. The Southern Taurids are quite a weak meteor shower that rarely produces more than five meteors per hour. However, you should still give it a chance — especially because moonlight will not interfere with your observations.
November 11–12: Northern Taurids
- ZHR: 5
- Moon illumination: 55%
- Active: October 20 — December 10
- Radiant location: constellation Taurus
- Visible from: everywhere
The Northern Taurids are also a part of the broad Taurid stream. Like its southern counterpart, this meteor shower is quite modest and probably won’t put on a spectacular show this November. To get the best out of the Northern Taurids, start your observations at midnight when the constellation Taurus is highest in the sky.
November 17–18: Leonids
- ZHR: 15
- Moon illumination: 97%
- Active: November 6–30
- Radiant location: constellation Leo
- Visible from: everywhere
The Leonids, associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle, are famous for producing breathtaking meteor storms. Such storms occur about every 33 years. For instance, in 1966, observers in North America could see thousands of meteors per hour! However, this year, we can’t expect more than 15 meteors per hour from the Leonids; besides, the glare of the nearly Full Moon will definitely spoil the view.
November 20–21: Alpha Monocerotids
- ZHR: variable
- Moon illumination: 99%
- Active: November 15–25
- Radiant location: Monoceros
- Visible from: everywhere
The parent body of Alpha Monocerotids is unknown, but it’s probably a long-period comet with an orbital period of about 500 years. Though Alpha Monocerotids have been known to show outbursts of activity with a zenithal hourly rate of more than 1,000 meteors, astronomers have provided no such forecasts for this year. Most probably, this meteor shower will produce just a few meteors per hour. In any case, during the shower’s peak, observation conditions won’t be favorable due to the Full Moon shining in the sky.
November 27–28: November Orionids
- ZHR: 3
- Moon illumination: 40%
- Active: November 13 — December 6
- Radiant location: constellation Orion
- Visible from: everywhere
November Orionids, whose parent body is not yet confirmed, are quite a weak meteor stream with a rate of only three meteors per hour. The good thing is, during the shower’s peak, the Moon will be in the waning crescent phase, so its light won’t pose a big problem. The highest meteor rate is expected before dawn on November 28.
Thanks for reading the article, we hope it was helpful for you. To quickly find any meteor shower’s radiant in the sky or determine the Moon phase for any date, use our stargazing apps. We wish you clear skies and happy observations!
