The appearance of the Moon during the November 2022 total lunar eclipse. Credit: NASA Science Visualization Studio
The Moon turns all red, plus the Leonid meteors!
The Leonids will fight against the moonlight this year, but anyone with a view of the Moon on the morning of November 8 can enjoy a lunar eclipse.
- November 8 – Full moon
- November 8 – Total lunar eclipse in the hours before sunrise
- November 11 – The Moon appears directly between
MarchMars is the second smallest planet in our solar system and the fourth planet from the sun. It’s a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Iron oxide is prevalent on the surface of Mars, hence its reddish color and nickname "The red planet." The name Mars comes from the Roman god of war.
” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{” attribute=””>Mars and bright blue-white star Elnath in the west before sunrise
- November 20 – In the hour before sunrise, find the crescent Moon above bright star Spica in the southeast
- November 18 – Look straight overhead for Leonid meteors after midnight. The Moon is about 35% full, and will diminish the fainter meteors.
- November 23 – New moon
- November 28 – The crescent Moon hangs beneath
What’s new for November? A lunar eclipse, the moon and planets, and the Leonid meteors.
A total lunar eclipse is on its way, to bring some celestial magic, early in the morning of November 8. The eclipse will be visible to viewers in North America, the Pacific Rim, Australia and East Asia – wherever the Moon is above the horizon during the eclipse occurs.
The Moon moves from right to left, passing through penumbra and umbra, leaving in its wake an eclipse chart with times at different stages of the eclipse. The penumbra is the part of the Earth’s shadow where the Sun is only partially covered by the Earth. The shadow is where the Sun is completely hidden. The planet
” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{” attribute=””>Uranus is about 3 degrees (six Moon widths) north of the Moon during totality. It’s normally a bit too dim to see with the naked eye, but binoculars and small telescopes reveal it as a small, mint-green dot. Credit:
During a lunar eclipse, you’ll likely notice that you can see a lot more faint stars, as the usually brilliant full moon dims to a dull red.
During a lunar eclipse, you’ll likely notice that you can see a lot more faint stars, as the usually brilliant full moon dims to a dull red. And during this eclipse, viewers with binoculars can spy an extra treat – the ice giant planet Uranus will be visible just a finger’s width away from the eclipsed Moon.
Check the video map below to find out if the eclipse is visible from your area, and find lots more eclipse info from NASA at moon.nasa.gov.
This animated map shows where the lunar eclipse of November 8, 2022 is visible. The contours mark the edge of the visibility region at eclipse contact times. The map is centered on 168°57’W, the mid-eclipse sublunar longitude. On November 8, 2022, the Moon enters Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the first since May. This animation shows the region of Earth where this eclipse is visible. This region moves west during the eclipse. Observers close to the edge of the visibility region may see only part of the eclipse because for them the Moon is setting (on the eastern or right edge) or rising (on the western or left edge) while the eclipse occurs. Contour lines mark the edge of the visibility region at contact times. These are the times when the Moon enters or leaves the umbra (the part of Earth’s shadow where the Sun is completely hidden) and the penumbra (the part where the Sun is only partially blocked). For observers on a contour line, contact occurs at moonrise (west) or moonset (east). Credit: NASA Science Visualization Studio
In the pre-dawn hours of November 11, you’ll find the Moon directly between Mars and the bright bluish-white star Elnath. Elnath is the second brightest star in the constellation Taurus, after reddish Aldebaran, and it forms the northern horn of the bull. You will find that Elnath has about the same luminosity as the star Bellatrix near Orion, where it forms one of the hunter’s shoulders.
On November 20, in the hour before sunrise, look southeast to find a thin crescent moon hanging just above the bright bluish star Spica. It is a giant star, 10 times more massive than our Sun and 12,000 times more luminous. Fortunately for us, it is located 260 light years from Earth.
And in the evening sky on November 28, a magnificent crescent moon hangs below Saturn in the south after sunset.
The Leonid meteor shower is active throughout November. It peaks after midnight on the 18th, with something like 15-20 meteors per hour under clear dark skies.
At the height of the Leonid night this year, the Moon will be around 35% full, which means it will interfere with your ability to see the faintest meteors.
The name of the shower comes from the constellation of Leo, the lion, from which its meteors seem to radiate. Meteors are dusty debris left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle as it orbits the Sun. This comet was actually discovered twice, independently.
At the height of the Leonid night this year, the Moon will be around 35% full, which means it will interfere with your ability to see the faintest meteors. However, Leonid meteors are often bright, with trails (also called trains) that linger for a few seconds after crossing the sky.
And while the Moon will rise in the east with Leo around midnight local time, it’s actually best to view the sky away from the apparent point of origin of the meteors, lying down and looking straight up. , as any meteor trails you see will appear. longer and more spectacular.
Here are the phases of the Moon for November.
Moon phases for November 2022. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Stay up to date with all NASA missions to explore the solar system and beyond at nasa.gov. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s what’s happening this month.