Colorado’s night skies to feature ‘can’t miss celestial event,’ multiple meteor showers and a supermoon in November

With the end of daylight saving time, dusk comes sooner in November — and the nights will only grow longer as the height of winter approaches.

But for Colorado astronomy guide Mark Laurin, the early darkness is welcome, because it means that stargazing can once again become an evening hobby that anyone can enjoy rather than a midnight indulgence only for night owls.

“Now the sun sets around 5 p.m. local time, giving darkness sooner; ergo, more time for stargazing,” Laurin wrote in his stargazing blog. “The spectacular winter constellations begin to rise in the east at a more reasonable hour. Yippee!”

With four meteor showers, a supermoon and more, the night sky will be full of wonder this November, according to Laurin, who is a member of the Denver Astronomical Society, an adjunct instructor at the Keystone Science School and a mentor for the nonprofit Dark Sky Colorado.

Colorado’s mountain communities offer great opportunities for stargazing, since the tall peaks help block light pollution. Dark Sky International officially recognizes more than 20 places in Colorado, including towns like Frisco, Breckenridge, Old Snowmass, Ridgway, Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, as well as state parks and national parks, for the quality of their stargazing opportunities.

Stargazing can be enjoyed when walking alone on a clear fall evening or when gathering with  friends and family over the Thanksgiving holiday. For the best experience, Laurin suggests dressing warmly, bringing a chair and perhaps a hot drink — like cocoa. 

Then just find a dark place away from light pollution and keep the phone away to let your eyes adjust. Even just five minutes watching the night sky can be rewarding — and is often enough to entice a person to stay longer, he said.

“Put your down jacket on and pull the hood up over your head. Step outside and look up,” Laurin said. “Connect with this wonderfully expanding universe above you, around you and in you. You’ll be thankful that you did.”

Here’s what stargazers should look for this month:

Northern Taurid Meteor Shower

The Northern Taurid Meteor Shower is a “can’t miss celestial event” this year, Laurin said. The meteor shower will peak on the night of Nov. 12, offering shooting stars from sunset through sunrise, he said.

A meteor, often called a “shooting star,” is the bright streak of light seen when a small piece of space debris burns up in the atmosphere. A meteor shower occurs when the Earth’s orbit passes through a stream of debris left by a comet or an asteroid, causing a shower of shooting stars as the debris burns up in the atmosphere.

Since the peak of the Northern Taurid Meteor Shower coincides with a crescent moon that sets early in the evening, Laurin said meteors should shine bright against the dark sky. He said the radiant point — or the spot where shooting stars will appear to emanate from — will be easy to find.

Just look for Aldebaran, which is the brightest star on the eastern horizon and part of the constellation Taurus, Laurin said. The best time to find the radiant point will be after 11 p.m., when it has risen to its highest point in the sky, he said.

“Get ready,” Laurin said. “This will be a good meteor shower to view.”

Other meteor showers

There are three other meteor showers this month in November, though these could see interference from moonlight.

The Leonid Meteor Shower, which peaks on the night of Nov. 17, is expected to offer between 10 and 15 meteors per hour, but the moon will be two-thirds full that night so the fainter shooting stars may not be visible, Laurin said. 

He noted the best time to see this meteor shower is expected to be around 11 p.m.

The Alpha-Monocerotids Meteor Shower will peak on the night of Nov. 21, though it’s one for the “late-night owl” or earliest of birds since it is expected to be best around 4 a.m. on the morning of Nov. 22, Laurin said. He noted that it may be harder to see because it is an “ambiguous” shower with meteors that appear in bursts, rather than throughout the night. 

The moon will also be more than 90% full that night.

Finally, the November Orionid Meteor Shower will peak on the night of Nov. 28 with about three to five meteors per hour, Laurin said. The meteor shower’s radiant point will be the constellation Orion, which will become visible on the eastern horizon around 6:35 p.m, but the moon will also be bright that night.

Despite the moonlight, Laurin said that those who look up “might have a chance to make a wish.”

A Supermoon and the Seven Sisters

On the night of Nov. 24, a supermoon that appears about 7% larger than normal will rise in Colorado’s skies, according to Laurin. November’s full moon is traditionally known as the Beaver Moon.

A supermoon is a full moon that happens when the moon is at or near its closest point to Earth in its oval-shaped orbit, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Supermoons typically occur three to four times a year.

In November, stargazers should also look for Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, which will return to the night sky around this time of year, Laurin said. This open star cluster — or a group of up to a few thousand stars formed together and are about the same age — is located in the constellation Taurus, he said.

Because the seven brightest stars in the Seven Sisters form a shape similar to the Big Dipper and Little Dipper,  Laurin noted the star cluster is also sometimes informally referred to as the “mini dipper.”

To find the Seven Sisters, start by scanning the east-northeast horizon, looking for a patch of “dim brightness” that looks like a “smudge” about the same size as a full moon, Laurin said. Look just to the left of the right of the “smudge” and the seven sisters will become visible.