Each Monday I pick out the northern hemisphere’s celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
The Night Sky This Week: November 13–19, 2023
This is perhaps the best week of the month to go stargazing, with largely moon-free night skies. A young moon make a a brief appearance after sunset each evening from Wednesday, its delicate crescent growing each night. Later is the peak of the Leonid meteor shower, which isn’t normally much to get excited about yet does occasionally bring something unforgettable.
Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing this week:
Wednesday, November 15: A Young Crescent Moon
Look southwest immediately after sunset and use binoculars to locate a delicate 7%-lit crescent moon. Having just emerged from the glare of the sun, it will now appear to grow each day as it orbits Earth and gets farther from the sun.
Thursday, November 16: A Waxing Crescent Moon And ‘Earthshine’
Be outside looking southwest after sunset tonight and you’ll see a slim lunar crescent just 14%-lit. Tonight’s the night to look for “Earthshine,” the sun’s light reflected from our planet’s oceans and ice-caps back on to the moon. You’ll see it on the moon’s darkened limb with the naked eye, but binoculars will give you an even better look.
Friday, November 17: A Waxing Crescent Moon And ‘Earthshine’
A final chance to se the crescent moon, now 23%-lit, display “Earthshine.” Beyond tonight the moon’s extra brightness will overwhelms your eyes, making it much harder to see the delicate reflected light.
Friday/Saturday, November 17/18: Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks
A dependable, if hardly prolific, meteor shower, the Leonids are known to produce about 15 “shooting stars” per hour. However, since many are very bright and have long trains, they’re worth seeing. That makes tonight an excellent opportunity to go stargazing for a few hours.
Stargazing Tip Of The Week: Join An Astronomy Club
If you’ve been reading my page for a while then you’ll have done some stargazing and most likely feel like you’ve reached a plateau. Now is the time to get active online or join your local astronomy club. Instead of exploring the night sky in a vacuum, you’ll learn from others and get inspired to more. The universe is yours to explore as you wish, but it’s best shared with others.
Times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information consult online planetariums like Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times for where you are.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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