Night sky November 2026 UK: planets, Moon and meteor showers
What to see from Britain in November 2026, with times worked out for UK skies rather than copied from American guides.
November evenings are dark by teatime, with the autumn stars overhead and the winter stars rising. Saturn is in the evening sky, and Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are best before dawn in mid-November 2026. Uranus and Neptune are also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The full Moon, the Beaver Moon, is on Tuesday 24 November 2026. The Southern Taurids peak on the night of 4 to 5 November, with the Moon 18% lit. The Northern Taurids peak on the night of 12 to 13 November, with the Moon 12% lit. The Leonids peak on the night of 17 to 18 November, with the Moon 55% lit.
November 2026 night sky: key dates
| Date | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Sunday 1 November | Last Quarter at about 20:25 GMT |
| Monday 2 November | The Moon passes near Mars before dawn |
| Wednesday 4 November | Southern Taurids meteor shower peaks on the night of 4 to 5 November (Moon 18% lit) |
| Thursday 5 November | Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun (conjunction) and can't be seen |
| Monday 9 November | New Moon at about 07:05 GMT |
| Thursday 12 November | Northern Taurids meteor shower peaks on the night of 12 to 13 November (Moon 12% lit) |
| Tuesday 17 November | First Quarter at about 11:50 GMT |
| Tuesday 17 November | Leonids meteor shower peaks on the night of 17 to 18 November (Moon 55% lit) |
| Friday 20 November | Mercury at greatest western elongation, 20° from the Sun in the morning sky |
| Tuesday 24 November | Full Moon, the Beaver Moon at about 15:00 GMT |
| Wednesday 25 November | Uranus at opposition: opposite the Sun, up all night and at its brightest |
| Monday 30 November | The Moon passes near Jupiter before dawn |
Times are UK local time, rounded to five minutes. For what's up on a particular night, see the UK night sky this week and the 7-night astronomy weather forecast.
When does it get dark in November in the UK?
On 15 November the Sun sets at about 16:15 GMT in central England and the sky is dark enough for stargazing from about 17:35 until 06:10. True astronomical darkness, which faint galaxies and the Milky Way need, lasts from about 18:15 to 05:30.
| Date | Sunset | Dark enough to stargaze | Astronomical darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 November | 16:40 GMT | 17:55 to 05:50 | 18:35 to 05:10 |
| 15 November | 16:15 GMT | 17:35 to 06:10 | 18:15 to 05:30 |
| 30 November | 16:00 GMT | 17:20 to 06:30 | 18:05 to 05:50 |
For Birmingham. "Dark enough" means the Sun is 12° below the horizon; astronomical darkness means 18°. Around midsummer it never gets that dark in Edinburgh or anywhere further north. In midwinter Edinburgh is dark about 5 minutes earlier than Birmingham and Plymouth about 15 minutes later; in spring and autumn the whole country is within about 15 minutes of these times.
Planets visible in November 2026
Saturn is in the evening sky, and Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are best before dawn in mid-November 2026. Uranus and Neptune are also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The details below are for 15 November from central England; times move by a few minutes from night to night.
Moon phases November 2026
| Phase | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Last Quarter | Sunday 1 November, about 20:25 GMT |
| New Moon | Monday 9 November, about 07:05 GMT |
| First Quarter | Tuesday 17 November, about 11:50 GMT |
| Full Moon | Tuesday 24 November, about 15:00 GMT |
The best evenings for faint targets this month are 1 to 13 and 27 to 30 November, when the Moon is out of the sky for at least the first hour after dark. The full Moon is the Beaver Moon; our moon phase tonight page shows the Moon for any night.
Meteor showers in November 2026
- Southern Taurids: peak on the night of 4 to 5 November. Up to 5 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is a waning crescent (18% lit) and does not rise until about 02:40.
- Northern Taurids: peak on the night of 12 to 13 November. Up to 5 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is a waxing crescent (12% lit) and stays out of the way all night.
- Leonids: peak on the night of 17 to 18 November. Up to 15 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is at first quarter (55% lit), up in the evening and setting at about 23:35; the darkest skies come after that.
Also active this month: Orionids.
For a quick verdict on any night, see is there a meteor shower tonight, and the UK meteor shower calendar for the year ahead.
Constellations and deep-sky objects in November
Pegasus heads into the south-west, Andromeda and Perseus are high, and Taurus with the Pleiades and Hyades climbs in the east. Orion rises in the east by about 9pm.
- The Pleiades (M45) and the V-shaped Hyades in Taurus
- The Andromeda Galaxy, close to overhead
- The Double Cluster and the Perseus Alpha cluster around Mirfak
To find your way around, our constellation guides show each star pattern, and binocular astronomy explains how to star-hop to clusters like these. For the darkest skies near you, try the UK dark sky sites map.
Kit for a month of stargazing
Kit we've reviewed in full
Nothing on this page needs more than your eyes, but a star chart and a red light make finding things far easier, and binoculars show the Moon's craters, Jupiter's moons and the best star clusters.
Philip's Planisphere (latitude 51.5° North)
Turn the wheel to the date and time and it shows exactly which constellations are up. Made for 51.5° north, so it matches the sky over Britain.
Lepro Rechargeable Head Torch with Red Light (2 pack)
Red light lets you read a chart without undoing the 20 minutes your eyes need to adapt to the dark.
The UK astronomy forums' standard first pair: waterproof, bright and the right size for clusters, the Moon and the Milky Way.
Our best binoculars for stargazing
Honest, research-based recommendations for every budget.
Browse all →Affiliate links: you pay the same price, we earn a small commission that helps keep WatchTheStars free.
Every figure on this page is calculated for central England (52.5° north) when the site rebuilds each night, using the same methods as our stargazing tonight tool, checked against the JPL ephemeris. Each month's page moves on to the following year once the month ends.