South Africans can look forward to meteor showers, bright planets and a supermoon in the November night sky, The South African reported. Many of these events can be seen without a telescope.
Several sky events fall within just a few weeks. The biggest are the Leonid meteor shower, a full supermoon on 24 November and Venus reaching its greatest brightness of 2026 on 27 November.
The first event is the Southern Taurid meteor shower, which peaks around 5 November. The Taurids do not bring many shooting stars. In good conditions, people may see only about five meteors an hour.
According to NASA, some Taurid meteors can make very bright flashes called fireballs. This makes it worth spending time outside even when there are few shooting stars.
The Northern Taurids follow and reach their peak around 12 November. To see meteors, people are advised to move away from city lights. They should let their eyes get used to the dark and scan as much of the sky as they can.
Around 15 and 16 November, Mars and Jupiter will appear close together in the sky before dawn. From Earth, the two planets will look just 1.2 degrees apart.
The planets are not actually near each other in space. They only look close because of where they sit compared to Earth. Both can be seen with the naked eye. Jupiter will look much brighter, while Mars will have a reddish colour.
Skywatchers should look towards the southeastern sky before sunrise to spot the pair.
The Leonid meteor shower peaks around 17 and 18 November. The best viewing is expected in the early morning, after the Moon has set. In ideal conditions, the Leonids could produce about 15 meteors an hour.
That number is not a promise. The real rate will depend on light pollution, the weather and viewing conditions.
The full Moon on 24 November will be a supermoon. It is the first of three full supermoons in a row. A supermoon happens when a full Moon takes place while the Moon is fairly close to Earth in its orbit.
This makes the Moon look a little bigger and brighter than a normal full Moon. The difference is small to the naked eye. The Moon will also look large as it rises near the horizon, but part of that comes from a well-known Moon illusion.
On 27 November, Venus will be at its brightest for the year. It will be visible in the sky before dawn. Venus is already one of the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and Moon.
On 20 November, the Moon will appear close to Saturn. Uranus reaches opposition on 25 November, which puts it in a good position to be seen. Binoculars or a telescope will help people spot the distant planet.
On 30 November, the Moon, Jupiter and Mars will appear together near the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo.
Source: this article is based on reporting by The South African. Image: The South African. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.