The appearance of the Moon during the total lunar eclipse of November 2022. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
The moon turns completely red, plus Leonid meteors!
The Leonids will battle 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 is a dusty, cold desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Iron oxide is widespread in the surface of Mars resulting in its reddish color and its nickname "The red planet." Mars’ name 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 happening in November? A lunar eclipse, the moon and planets, and the Leonid meteors.
A total lunar eclipse is on the way, to bring some celestial magic, in the early morning hours of November 8th. The eclipse will be visible to viewers in North America, the Pacific region, Australia and eastern Asia – anywhere the moon is above the horizon during the eclipse.
The Moon moves from right to left, passing through the penumbra and umbra, leaving in its wake an eclipse diagram with the times of the 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. Umbra 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 November 8, 2022 lunar eclipse is visible. The contours mark the edge of the viewing area at eclipse contact times. The map is centered on 168°57’W, the sublunar longitude at mid-eclipse. On November 8, 2022, the Moon will enter Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the first since May. This animation shows the area on Earth where this eclipse is visible. This region shifts westward during the eclipse. Observers near the edge of the viewing area can only see 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 is in progress. Contour lines mark the edge of the field of view at the contact times. These are the times when the moon enters or leaves the umbra (the part of the 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’s Scientific Visualization Studio
During dawn on November 11, you’ll find the moon directly between Mars and the bright blue-white star Elnath. Elnath is the second brightest star in the constellation Taurus, after the reddish Aldebaran, and it forms the northern horn of the bull. You will find that Elnath is about the same brightness as the star Bellatrix in nearby Orion, where it forms one of the hunter’s axes.
On November 20, the hour before sunrise, look to the southeast to find a narrow, crescent moon hanging just above the bright bluish star Spica. It is a giant star, 10 times the mass of our sun and 12,000 times more luminous. Fortunately for us, it is 260 light years from Earth.
And in the evening sky, on November 28, a beautiful 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 about 15 to 20 meteors per hour under clear, dark skies.
On the peak night of the Leonids this year, the moon will be about 35% full, meaning it will interfere with your ability to see the fainter meteors.
The shower’s name comes from the constellation Leo, the lion, from which its meteors seem to radiate. The meteors are dusty pieces of debris left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle as it orbits the Sun. This comet was actually discovered twice, independently.
On the peak night of the Leonids this year, the moon will be about 35% full, meaning it will interfere with your ability to see the fainter meteors. But Leonid meteors are often bright, with trails (also called trains) that persist for a few seconds after they streak across the sky.
And while the moon will rise in the east with Leo around midnight local time, it’s actually better to view the sky away from the meteors’ apparent point of origin by leaning back and looking straight up, as any meteor trails you see will appear longer and more spectacular .
Here are the moon phases for November.
Moon phases for November 2022. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Stay up to date with all of NASA’s 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.