November’s Night Sky Guide: Comet Lemmon, Taurids, and the Return of Long Nights
Overview
The Milky Way core has officially set for the season — but that doesn’t mean the show is over. November brings long, dark nights perfect for deep-sky imaging, meteor showers, and a bright comet visible from dark-sky areas.
If you’ve been waiting for uninterrupted hours under the stars, this is the month to charge your batteries and plan your shoots.
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
Last observed at a magnitude of 3.9, Comet Lemmon has entered the range of naked-eye visibility from dark-sky locations.
Its brightness peaked around October 28 and will begin fading through mid-November — still bright enough to image over the next couple of weeks.
Keep an eye out for it just after dusk low in the southwest sky as it continues to fade away from the Sun’s glare.
Meteor Showers
Taurid Meteor Showers
Active: Sept 10 – Nov 20 (South) and Oct 20 – Dec 10 (North)
Predicted peaks:
South Taurids: November 5, 13:00 UTC (night of Nov 4 locally)
North Taurids: November 9, 12:00 UTC (night of Nov 8 locally)
Expect 5–10 meteors per hour, often slow, long, and occasionally producing bright fireballs.
Leonid Meteor Shower
Active: Nov 3 – Dec 2
Peak: November 17–18
Rate: 10–15 meteors per hour under dark skies
Look toward constellation Leo, which rises in the east around midnight and reaches its highest point in the southeast near dawn.
Known for its occasional bursts every 33–34 years, though none expected this cycle.
Lunar Phases
Full Moon: November 5
New Moon: November 20
This new moon brings exceptionally long windows for imaging — over 11 hours of full darkness for several nights in a row.
🌌 Best Nights for Astrophotography (Winnipeg)
Long nights, low humidity, and cold air make for crisp skies — ideal for deep-sky targets, star trails, and aurora if geomagnetic conditions align.
Final Thoughts
The Milky Way may be gone until spring, but November opens the door to a different kind of night-sky photography — the kind that rewards patience, layering, and creative use of foregrounds.
Bundle up, plan ahead, and take advantage of these long hours of true darkness.
📸 Follow my night-sky updates on Instagram @ryanlucenkiw.