Head To Your Favorite Dark Sky Spots For These 4 Stargazing Events This November

Human beings have been gazing up at the night sky since time immemorial. Our earliest ancestors were awe-inspired by astrological events and often ascribed spiritual significance to everything from the regularity of the moon phases to the rare occurrence of meteor showers and eclipses. Later, scientists began to systematically observe the cosmos in order to understand our place in the universe. There is something undeniably fascinating about the night sky, and November 2025 will be a particularly phenomenal time to do some stargazing.

Late autumn is always a prime time to indulge your inner amateur astronomer, since the sun sets earlier and the nights grow longer leading up to the Winter Solstice. This year there are a few special events that astronomers and space enthusiasts are quite excited about. Three notable meteor showers and a supermoon are some marvelous things you can spot stargazing this month.

If you're looking for interesting new ways to spend long November nights in the Northern Hemisphere, then bundle up in your coziest coat, fill your thermos with hot chocolate, and head to a Dark Sky Park for unspoiled views that are sure to leave you star-struck.

The Southern Taurid meteor shower is an annual event that occurs every October and November when the earth flies through the debris that was left from a comet called 2P/Encke. It's been happening around this time each year since the comet first split apart around 20,000 years ago. The comet's debris orbits around the sun once every 3.3 years.

In 2025, astronomers anticipate that it will peak on Tuesday, November 4 and Wednesday, November 5. The Southern Taurid meteor shower has been known to produce some spectacular fireballs. According to NASA, fireballs are "meteors that are as bright or brighter than the planet Venus (seen in the morning or evening skies at around a visual magnitude of -4). They may exhibit larger explosions of light and color and can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material."

 The Southern Taurid meteor shower is predicted to be extra active, so you may be able to witness a fireball. For the best views, find a place away from light pollution with a good view of the sky. If you're on the East Coast of the United States, Cherry Springs State Park is an excellent choice.

The November full moon will peak at 8:19 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, November 5, but will appear full in the sky on both the 4th and the 5th. The full moon in November is known as the Beaver Moon. Each month the full moon has a different nickname that has to do with what is going on in nature at that particular time of year. Some say that the Beaver Moon was named by early Indigenous Americans because beavers are active in November and it was traditionally a good time to set beaver traps. Sometimes it's also called the Frost Moon because the first frost often falls around that time.

In 2025, the November full moon is also a supermoon, which occur when the moon is at its closest point to the earth while also being full. Due to its phase and proximity to the earth, the moon will appear much bigger and brighter. Supermoons happen 3-4 times a year, but the Beaver Moon will be the largest and brightest of 2025 because it is the closest to the earth.

If you really want to soak up the full moon magic, plan a camping trip. As long as you bundle up, there are plenty of places in the United States where you can still go camping in November, so head to one of the country's top-ranked campsites for incredible views of the star-lit skies. Remember to pack the proper gear if you plan on camping in the cold.

The second meteor shower of the month will peak on Tuesday, November 11, and Wednesday, November 12. November 11 is also Veteran's Day, which is a Federal holiday in the United States. If you have the day off work, this could be the perfect time to take a mini vacation to one of the top stargazing destinations in America like the Dark Sky community of Sedona, Arizona.

During the Northern Taurid meteor shower, scientists anticipate that you may be able to see an average of five meteors per hour. The Southern Taurid meteor shower is caused by a comet, but the Northern Taurid meteor is due to an asteroid, according to experts. An asteroid is a small object made up of rock and metal, whereas a comet is an object made from ice and dust. "Asteroids are important to study because they are leftover planet-building materials from the birth of our Solar System," The Planetary Society website states.

The asteroid that causes the Northern Taurid meteor shower is called 2004 TG10, and it was first noticed by scientists in October of 2004.

With three different meteor showers occurring within just a few weeks of each other, November 2025 is truly going to be a thrilling month for astronomers and stargazers. The Leonid meteor shower will peak on Monday, November 17 and Tuesday, November 18. Out of the three meteor shower events occurring in November, this one is predicted to be the most exciting.

The Leonid meteor shower is iconic amongst astronomers because in November of 1966 it caused one of the biggest meteor storms in history. Back then, you could see as many as a thousand meteors per minute. "That night, Leonid meteors did, briefly, fall like rain. Some who witnessed it had a strong impression of Earth moving through space, fording the meteor stream," an article on EarthSky.org explains. In 2025 you may be able to see around 15 meteors per hour.

The best time to take in the beauty will be from midnight until dawn on November 17th. Since the moon will be in its waning crescent phase, the sky will be nice and dark to allow for optimal viewing. If you're in the Midwest, head to the world's largest urban night sky park just outside of Chicago. Those in the southern part of the country may want to visit Lake County, Florida which is the state's first dark sky community.

For our list of stargazing events to enjoy in November of 2025, we narrowed the list down to our top four choices. We chose events that we believed were the most exciting and significant. We also selected events that will be possible to view with the naked eye as long as the sky is clear. We researched credible scientific sources to bring you the most updated information available at the time of writing.