Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
The Night Sky This Week: Nov. 3-9, 2025
This week’s highlight has to be the appearance of the full beaver moon, which will double as the largest supermoon since 2019. Its presence will make stargazing more difficult and typically makes shooting stars almost impossible to see. However, the Southern Taurid meteor shower, which peaks this week, is known for its bright “fireballs,” which may cut through the moonlight. Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week.
Monday, Nov. 3: Southern Taurid ‘Fireballs’
Tonight marks the peak of the Southern Taurid meteor shower, a modest display of about five meteors per hour. However, these meteors are famous for bringing bright “fireballs” originating from comet 2P/Encke. It could be a good display this year — though the nearly full moon (96%-lit) may take the shine off.
Wednesday, Nov. 5: The Year’s Biggest Supermoon
The “Beaver Moon” turns full at 8:20 a.m. EST, and it’s no ordinary full moon — it’s the largest supermoon since February 2019. Because the moon is at perigee (its closest point to Earth during its elliptical monthly orbit), it appears unusually large and bright in the night sky.
Thursday, Nov. 6: Full ‘Beaver Moon’ At Its Best
If you missed the spectacle last night, don’t worry — tonight is actually a better night to watch the moonrise from North America. About 30 minutes after sunset, the bright beaver moon will appear on the eastern horizon.
Sunday, Nov. 9: Moon And Jupiter
A few hours after sunset, a 71%-lit waning gibbous moon will hang between Jupiter and Pollux, one of the “twin ” stars of Gemini.
Put any pair of binoculars on the king of the planets to see some of its four giant Galilean moons — Ganymede, Europa, Callisto and Io — as pinpoints of light.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.