Located 13,050 light-years from Earth, 47 Tucanae is the second-brightest globular cluster in the night sky and is host to tens of thousands of stars. Photo: MPAS member Steven Mohr
Highlights this month
- 3FriJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag −2.8). (3:56pm)
- 5SunSaturn is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:31am)
- 5SunSouthern Taurids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 14TueUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag 5.7). (4:34am)
- 17FriLeonids meteor shower peaks (up to 15/hr). A thin 17% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 18SatMars in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (4:33pm)
- 21TueThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (3:02am)
- 25SatThe Moon passes Jupiter — 3° apart. (8:26pm)
In November, the constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius are slowly leaving our night skies to be replaced by Orion and its nebulae, and the bright star Sirius. Looking towards the direction of the celestial pole you can find the constellations Reticulum, the Net; Hydrus, the Little Water Snake; Tucana, the Toucan; and Octans, the Octant.
The constellations Eridanus and Cetus sit right above you. Eridanus, the River, is naturally long and winding and its end is marked by the bright star Achernar, which can be seen high in the sky almost due south. Canis Major can be located in the east with the blazing star Sirius making it easy to find. Orion and Taurus are also coming into view in the east. It is easy to identify Orion, as its brightest stars are blue-white Rigel (Beta Orionis) and red Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis).
As Cetus is high in the sky, a large telescope will show you the interesting spiral galaxy M77, sitting very close to the star Delta Ceti. The beautiful Magellanic Clouds should be your next target. The Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC, sits across the border between the constellations Dorado, the Goldfish/Swordfish; and Mensa, the Table Mountain. A small telescope is all you need to explore the sparkling star clusters as well as the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070), nestled within the LMC.
Meanwhile, a short distance away in the constellation Tucana, you can see the Small Magellanic Cloud, or SMC, and the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104). These are wonderful binocular or small-telescope targets. Looking towards the northeast, the Hyades and Pleiades open star clusters make excellent binocular targets.
The Leonid meteor shower is active each November, and this year the Leonids will peak overnight on November 18-19. The shower is called Leonids because its radiant, or the point in the sky from which the meteors seem to emerge, lies in the constellation Leo. The Leonids occur when the Earth passes through the debris left by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet takes about 33 years to make one orbit of the sun.
By Nerida Langcake
This article appeared in the November 2023 issue of the Mornington Peninsula Magazine.
The sky in detail — November 2023
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 6:13am | 7:55pm | 13h 42m | 9:33pm | 4:34am |
| Fri 10 | 6:03am | 8:04pm | 14h 01m | 9:47pm | 4:21am |
| Mon 20 | 5:56am | 8:16pm | 14h 20m | 10:03pm | 4:09am |
| Thu 30 | 5:51am | 8:26pm | 14h 35m | 10:18pm | 3:59am |
Days lengthen by about 53 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Last QuarterSun 5, 7:38pm
- New MoonMon 13, 8:29pm
- First QuarterMon 20, 9:53pm
- Full MoonMon 27, 8:18pm
Apogee 7 Nov (404,900 km) · Perigee 22 Nov (369,700 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sco | −0.5 | 6:41am | 2:05pm | 9:29pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −4.2 | 4:07am | 10:14am | 4:22pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Lib | 1.5 | 6:04am | 1:08pm | 8:13pm | Hidden |
| Jupiter | Ari | −2.7 | 6:51pm | 12:15am | 5:34am | All night |
| Saturn | Aqr | 0.7 | 1:13pm | 7:56pm | 2:44am | Evening |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.7 | 7:53pm | 1:01am | 6:05am | All night |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.8 | 3:15pm | 9:26pm | 3:42am | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Southern Taurids — peaks 5 November, radiant in Taurus (up to 5/hr). Sparse but rich in slow fireballs over a long, broad maximum. A 51% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- Leonids — peaks 17 November, radiant in Leo (up to 15/hr). Fast meteors; the radiant rises after midnight and is moderate from the south. A thin 17% Moon leaves the sky dark.
Computed for The Briars, Mt Martha. Times are local (Melbourne).
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.
The solar system — November 2023
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
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