Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC's late fall skies are bright with comets and shooting stars
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Nov 1, 2025
Modified Nov 3, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Steven Bellavia, a member of Amateur Astronomers Association, Inc.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Nov 1, 2025
Modified Nov 3, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
November's night skies are going to be bright and busy.
There are comets for those willing to put in the work to spot them, shooting stars for those with some patience, and constellations and planets for folks who value reliability.
“November is where we can really start transitioning to the winter sky,” said Jackie Faherty, astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. “For November, Orion is a good winter constellation, big and beautiful.”
Comets
For a second month, stargazers should be able to spot comets Lemmon and Swan. The comets are definitely visible with binoculars, and Lemmon may become bright enough for naked eye viewing. Comets are notoriously unpredictable, and can brighten or dim suddenly.
Comet Swan is bright enough to be seen with binoculars by looking at the southern horizon after sunset. This comet is green, and can be tricky to spot.
Most stargazers will have an easier time finding Comet Lemmon. It can be viewed with the naked eye under dark skies, away from light pollution. It has a double tail that is about 12 moon diameters long. The green comet can be found by looking to the southwest, 15 degrees above the horizon at dusk. Astronomers predict the comet could be at its brightest on Nov. 8. Gothamist has consistently tracked this comet with binoculars from the Manhattan side of the Hudson River.
“ It's pretty bright. You just sweep around with your binoculars. You'll see it above the horizon,” said Bart Fried, a member of the American Astronomical Society. “It's bright now, but comets do what they want.”
Meteors
Meteors can be harder to spot because they appear in an instant and are gone in a blink of an eye. Looking for shooting stars doesn’t require binoculars, but does call for patience and staring up into the darkness.
There’s an opportunity to see a shooting star every night, but to maximize chances, the second half of the month has darker skies because the moon is not as illuminated. The moon is the brightest during its full moon phase on Nov. 5, which is also a supermoon. A supermoon is when the moon appears larger because it’s at its closest distance to Earth. This month’s moon is also predicted to be the brightest of the year.
The Southern Taurids are peaking on Nov. 4 and 5. And the Orionids will fade out on Nov. 7, after peaking in October. These showers have five shooting stars per hour, but may be difficult to see because of moonlight.
The Northern Taurids will peak on Nov. 11 and 12, during a waning gibbous moon, which means the moon is only half illuminated, making it better for viewing fireballs.
The best time to see a shooting star is on Nov. 16 and 17, when the Leonids peak during an almost completely dark waning crescent moon. The meteors from the Leonids can be very bright and colorful with up to 20 shooting stars per hour during the peak.
“ Leonids meteor shower is always a good one. It tends to be a pretty popular one,” Faherty said.
Constellations and planets
The stars of the fall constellations – Pegasus, Andromeda and Pisces – are bright for peak viewing. By the end of the month, the winter constellations will begin to rise, including Taurus, Orion and Gemini.
Uranus is another celestial sight to look out for this month. The seventh planet from the sun is at opposition on Nov. 21, which means the blue sphere is at its closest distance to Earth. To locate the ice giant, look in the constellation of Taurus with binoculars after sunset.
To get a close-up of planets and stars, the Amateur Astronomers Association is hosting its rescheduled 30th annual Autumn Starfest on Nov. 1 at Pat’s Lawn at Inwood Hill Park, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public of all ages. Dozens of telescopes will be pointed at night sky objects like Saturn and the moon. There will be a star talk by Astronomy on Tap.
The photo on this story has been updated.
Tagged
Health and Science
comet
Rosemary Misdary
Rosemary is health & science reporter. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 646-544-9524.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .