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Mars and Jupiter to appear close together before sunrise on November 15 and 16

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The planetary alignment brings the two worlds within roughly 1.2 degrees of each other, with the brighter gas giant serving as a guide to locate its dimmer reddish neighbor. This display is accompanied by the Taurid and Leonid meteor showers, which offer viewing opportunities away from city light pollution. Additionally, the month features a major distance milestone for deep space exploration and concludes with the first of three consecutive supermoons.

Key points

  • Skywatchers can spot the planetary conjunction with the naked eye by using bright Jupiter…: Skywatchers can spot the planetary conjunction with the naked eye by using bright Jupiter to locate dimmer Mars.
  • November features multiple meteor displays, including the Northern Taurids peaking near N…: November features multiple meteor displays, including the Northern Taurids peaking near November 12 and the Leonids following shortly after.
  • A full supermoon rising on November 24 will mark the start of three consecutive supermoon…: A full supermoon rising on November 24 will mark the start of three consecutive supermoon events through January.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Skywatchers, lose yourself in the sky this November. Three meteor showers are on the calendar, and on the mornings of 15 and 16 November, Mars and Jupiter will sit just 1.2 degrees apart before dawn, close enough to spot without any equipment, according to

NASA’s skywatching guidance for the month. A full supermoon follows on 24 November, the first of three in a row. That’s not all. NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is also approaching an extraordinary milestone.

Here’s the November skywatching highlight no true blue sky gazer should miss.

- Around 12 November: Northern Taurids peak; around five meteors per hour under ideal conditions.

- 15–16 November: Mars and Jupiter appear 1.2 degrees apart before sunrise.

- 17 November: Shine Bright for Voyager’s Light-Day activation.

- 17–18 November: Leonids before dawn after moonset; up to around 15 meteors per hour under ideal conditions.

- 24 November: Full supermoon; first in a series of three consecutive supermoons.

Three meteor showers

This November, you have the chance to spot two more shooting stars: the Northern Taurids and Leonids.

The Southern Taurids have…

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