Nov. brings four notable astronomical events worth searching the night sky for. The Beaver Moon, The Leonid Meteor Shower, The Orionoid Meteor Shower and the Micro New Moon. Keep reading for a brief breakdown of their history, how the events can go hand in hand, and where in the sky to find them.

The Beaver Supermoon, Nov. 5

The Beaver Supermoon, otherwise referred to as the Frost Moon due to its alignment with the shift into winter, is one of three supermoons to occur in 2025. It is in fact the closest the moon will get to the Earth in the calendar year due to its elliptical orbit shape. The Beaver Moon itself spans the entire moon cycle (29.5 days). This cycle does not always coincide with the event of a supermoon, especially not the brightest one of the year. The Beaver Moon gets its name from the Algonquin indigenous peoples who identified it as an indicator for when beavers start building their dams. 

The Orionid Meteor Shower, Oct. 2 – Nov. 12

Though they reach their most active point Oct. 22, the Orionid meteor showers last well into early November. The Orionids are made up of the debris from Halley’s Comet. They’re considered easiest to view north of Betelgeuse in the Orion constellation. When moving at a high velocity, these meteors can burst into flames, the light from which can be seen without the aid of a telescope lasting from the middle of the night into the very early morning. Even without the addition of flames, the Orionids are considered by astronomers to be some of the most flamboyant showers the night sky has to offer.

    When asked if she has had any luck with meteor viewing, Earth and Space teacher at South Eugene High School Danielle Tubman said, “In Eugene, unless it’s a clear night, no. But if you can go to the coast or eastern Oregon, yes.”

The Leonids Meteor Shower, Nov.3 – Dec.2

The debris from the 55P/ Tempel-Tuttle results in the Leonids, or the Mid-November shower, “inter showers are less popular only because meteor showers are best viewed late at night, after midnight when you’re just sort of laying out on a lawn, sipping a drink… and in the middle of the winter, you’re not doing that,” Well-known Astrophysicist and astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson said.  As the name implies, the Leonids are seen in the constellation Leo which can only be seen late at night in winter months. While these showers are generally very tame, there have been instances where they’ve hosted some of the most intense meteor storms in recent history. On Nov. 17 1966, the Leonids covered the night sky in thousands of meteors every hour in a fifteen minute time period. The leonids this year are also expected to peak on Nov. 17th. Keep an eye out, you may get lucky!

The Micro New Moon, Nov.19 – Nov.20

The term “Micromoon” refers to the point in which the moon is furthest from the earth, In the case of this particular Micromoon, it will be at the furthest away from earth it can get for another eighteen years. The term “New Moon” refers to the point of the moon’s cycle where it’s between the moon and the sun, not to be confused with a solar eclipse, this event happens only at night. 

The Orionids were inhibited by the Beaver Super Moon’s bright light creating less visibility of the showers, given that November is home to the biggest and smallest moons of the year. However, the Micro New Moon’s invisibility in the sky has the potential to interact with the Leonids in such a way that gives them the opportunity to shine brightest!

“See the universe as something you participate in –as this great unfolding cosmic story that– I think, should make you feel large, not small… any astrophysicist does not feel small looking up at the universe; we feel large.” Tyson said.

Article by Penny Deitz