What’s in the Night Sky Tonight? Astronomical Events for November 14–21

~2 min
Topics:Skywatching
Night Sky Tonight: What to See This Week
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Looking for what to see in the sky this week? This guide highlights the upcoming astronomical events. Scroll down for sky maps and viewing tips, and use the Sky Tonight app to check when and where each object will appear in your sky.

Contents

Night Sky Tonight: November 14

  • What is happening in the sky tonight: Mars, Regulus & Algieba form an isosceles triangle.
  • Planets visible tonight: Evening and night — Saturn (naked eye), Neptune (telescope), and Uranus (binoculars/telescope); before dawn — Venus, Mars, and Jupiter (naked eye). Mercury returns to the morning sky and becomes easier to spot toward the end of the week; around November 14, all four morning planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter — can be seen with the naked eye from favorable northern locations with a clear horizon. Details: Planets Visible Tonight
  • Constellations visible tonight: Northern Hemisphere — Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and Pisces; Southern Hemisphere — Sculptor, Phoenix, and Tucana. Details: Constellations in November

Astronomical Events Today and This Week: November 14–21, 2026

DateEventBest timeEquipment
Nov 13–22Mercury, Venus, Mars & Jupiter alignmentBefore sunriseNaked eye
Nov 14–15Mars, Regulus & Algieba form an isosceles triangleBefore sunriseNaked eye
Nov 15–16Mars near JupiterLate night / before dawnNaked eye / binoculars
Nov 17–18Leonids peakAfter midnight / before dawnNaked eye
Nov 19–20Moon near NeptuneNightTelescope
Nov 20–21Mercury at greatest western elongationBefore sunriseNaked eye
Nov 20–21Moon near SaturnEvening / nightNaked eye / telescope
Nov 21–22Alpha Monocerotids peakLate night / before dawnNaked eye

Below, you’ll find sky events arranged by date, with quick viewing tips to help you choose the best nights for stargazing. Date ranges indicate suggested local observing windows. Exact event times are given in UTC unless otherwise noted.

November 13–22: 4-planet alignment

Night Sky on November 13–22, 2026: Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter
From November 13 to 22, look east before sunrise to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter stretching across the morning sky in a four-planet alignment. The view favors the Northern Hemisphere; from mid-southern latitudes, Mercury remains very low in bright twilight. November 14 offers a good early view of the lineup: Venus, Mars, and Jupiter will be easy naked-eye targets, while Mercury will sit much lower near the horizon and may require a clear, unobstructed view. For the best dates, viewing directions, and visibility details for different locations, see our dedicated article about the planet parade in November 2026.
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November 14–15: Mars, Regulus, and Algieba form a triangle

Night Sky on November 14–15, 2026: Mars, Regulus, and Algieba
Before dawn, Mars, Regulus, and Algieba will form a neat isosceles triangle in Leo. Algieba will sit about 8.4° from both Regulus and Mars, which will be separated by roughly 5.1°. Symmetry will be easy to notice with the naked eye. The pattern will be especially well placed from the Americas, Europe, and much of Asia, where it climbs higher before sunrise; from Australia, it will appear lower above the horizon. Bright Jupiter will shine near Mars as well — it is not part of the triangle, but it will be an obvious addition to the same morning scene.
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November 15–16: Mars near Jupiter

Night Sky on November 15–16, 2026: Mars near Jupiter
Late at night and before dawn, look toward Leo for Mars and Jupiter shining about 1.2° apart — a little over twice the apparent diameter of the Full Moon. Both are easy to see with the naked eye, and binoculars will fit them comfortably in the same field of view. Before sunrise, look lower toward the east-southeastern horizon for Venus and Mercury to complete the four-planet morning alignment visible from November 13 to 22. Mercury remains the trickiest target in the brightening dawn sky.
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November 17–18: Leonid meteor shower peaks

Night Sky on November 17–18, 2026: Leonid Meteor Shower
The Leonids — the biggest meteor shower of November — peak on the night of November 17–18, producing up to about 15 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. These meteors are among the fastest, streaking into Earth’s atmosphere at around 71 km/s, and the shower is famous for rare meteor storms — during the legendary 1966 outburst, observers in North America reported thousands of meteors per hour. No such storm is expected in 2026. Conditions improve after the First Quarter Moon sets around midnight. Watch from a dark site after moonset and before dawn. No equipment is needed.
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November 19–20: Moon near Neptune

Night Sky on November 19–20, 2026: Moon near Neptune
The waxing gibbous Moon will pass about 4°24′ from Neptune in Pisces. The distant planet shines at only about magnitude 7.7, so you’ll need a telescope to see it — and the bright Moon nearby will make the observations more challenging. Try to keep the lunar disk outside the field of view to reduce its glare.
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November 20–21: Mercury at greatest elongation; Moon near Saturn

Night Sky on November 20–21, 2026: Mercury at Greatest Elongation
Before sunrise, look low above the eastern horizon for Mercury near its greatest western elongation, about 19°37′ from the Sun. This is one of the best opportunities to catch the elusive planet during its current morning appearance. Mercury is also the lowest member of the four-planet morning alignment, with brilliant Venus, Mars, and Jupiter stretching higher across the sky.
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Night Sky on November 20–21, 2026: Moon near Saturn
After sunset, look for the waxing gibbous Moon near Saturn, separated by about 6° at their closest. Both objects are easy to see with the naked eye and remain visible together well into the night. A telescope will reveal Saturn’s rings, although the pair is too widely separated to fit comfortably in the same telescopic field of view.
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November 21–22: Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower

Night Sky on November 21–22, 2026: Alpha Monocerotids
The Alpha Monocerotids peak on the night of November 21–22, but this is one of the more unpredictable meteor showers of the year. Most years, activity is low, though the shower has occasionally produced brief outbursts with much higher rates, reaching more than 1,000 meteors per hour. In 2026, the bright waxing gibbous Moon will wash out many faint meteors, so only the brighter streaks are likely to stand out. The radiant lies in Canis Minor near the Monoceros–Canis Minor border. No equipment is needed; watch a broad area of sky from a dark site.
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What's in the Sky Tonight: Bottom Line

There is almost always something worth seeing in the night sky. Use this guide to choose the best events for tonight and the coming days, but remember that visibility depends on your location, local time, weather, and light pollution. For the most accurate view, check the exact position of each object in the Sky Tonight app before you go outside.

For the month’s full overview, see the calendar of astronomical events in November 2026.

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Topics:Skywatching
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