Don’t Miss These Astrophotography Opportunities in November 2025

Every month brings some unique astronomical events that you can see with the naked eye and photograph. In this article, let us take a look at the astrophotography opportunities in November 2025.

November 3-4: Taurids meteor shower

The Taurids are a long-running minor meteor shower that produces 5-10 meteors each hour.  It is unique in that it comprises two distinct streams.  The first is caused by dust grains left behind by the asteroid 2004 TG10.  The second stream is caused by debris left by Comet 2P Encke.  This year’s peak occurs on the night of November 4.  Unfortunately, the brightness of the full moon will obscure most of the meteors this year.  If you are extremely patient, you may still capture a few bright ones.  The best viewing will be shortly after midnight from a dark spot away from city lights.  Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but they can appear anywhere in the sky.

November 5: Full Beaver moon (Supermoon)

The penultimate full moon of 2025 will appear on the 5^th of November. The November full moon is also known as the Beaver moon. This is going to be the closest supermoon of the year. Full moons are always a great opportunity to photograph them with a telephoto lens. It will also allow you to capture the moonrise in the evening and the moonset in the early morning.

November 17-18: Leonids meteor shower

The Leonids are an average shower, with up to 15 meteors per hour at their peak.  This shower is remarkable in that it has a cyclonic peak every 33 years, during which hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen.  The last of these occurred in 2001.  The Leonids are formed by dust grains left behind by the comet Tempel-Tuttle, discovered in 1865.  The shower is held yearly from November 6 to November 30.  It reaches its climax this year during the night of the 17th and the morning of the 18th.  This should be a great year for the Leonids.  The thin, crescent moon will not pose a problem, and the skies will be dark enough for a spectacular display. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but they can appear anywhere in the sky.

November 20: New moon

The new moon week is the best time to plan your dark sky trips. Capture the minute details of constellations, nebulae, and galaxies without any interference from moonlight. Whether you are a wide-field astrophotographer or a deep sky photographer, the nights around the new moon will offer you the best conditions for astrophotography.

Other opportunities throughout the month

Along with the celestial events mentioned above, the sky will present more opportunities to catch a few more objects. And some will be better than before.

The “Orion season” is beginning

The Orion arm of the Milky Way, one of the most beautiful and popular regions to photograph, now rises early in the evening, visible right after sunset. It will be visible throughout the night. This will be a great (and your last) opportunity to photograph the jewels of Orion along with other nightscape and deepscape images.

Moon meets the planets

The moon will be positioned with different planets throughout the month. The month begins with a conjunction between the Moon and Saturn on 2^nd November. On 10^th November, the Moon will come close to Jupiter. On 21^st November, Moon will meet the red planet, Mars.

Sunspots

The sun is undergoing what is called the “solar maximum”. During this period, the activity on the solar surface remains high. This would be a great opportunity to photograph the sunspots with a white-light filter attached to your telephoto lens.

[It is mandatory to follow precautions during solar photography. Make sure the filter is tightly and correctly attached to the lens. Do not look at the sun with your naked eyes or through the viewfinder of your camera.]

Hope you have a great month with lots of astrophotography opportunities ahead.

Clear skies!

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