November astro outlook: Dual meteor showers light the skies

November brings us two meteor showers plus a great chance to spot Jupiter and its moons as it enters opposition.

Right now is your best chance to see Jupiter all year. The planet was at its yearly opposition on November 3, with the gas giant appearing east in the evening sky, brighter than any star and fully illuminated by the sun.

With binoculars, you may be able to catch the planet’s largest moons before the display starts to fade.

Quickly following Jupiter’s spectacle is the Taurids Meteor shower, peaking on November 4. It is relatively slow with just 10 shooting stars an hour and will last until around December 10, offering plenty of chances to wish upon a shooting star.

This is a unique shower with two sources. One stream of debris produced by Comet 2P Encke joins dust from Asteroid 2004 TG10 to create the display of shooting stars.

A new moon on November 13 presents dark skies, perfect for a spot of stargazing if weather allows.

Also on November 13, Uranus is in opposition, but due to the distance will only be visible with powerful telescopes. Instead, the next major event is the arrival of the Leonids.

The second shower of the month, this is another slow show with an average of 15 meteors an hour as it peaks on the night of November 17.

This is an unusual shower with a cyclonic peak. Every 33 years, the shower produces a meteor storm with hundreds of shooting stars (up to 300 have been reported) an hour. This last arrived in 2001, meaning we still have over a decade until the next.

Finally, this month, we see the Beaver Moon, this full moon rises on November 27 and was named by Native Americans as it rises at the time of the year when beaver traps were set.