November 2026 Moon Phases

November 2026 has no eclipses, but it’s one of the year’s better months for meteors. Two branches of the slow, fireball-prone Taurid shower peak under dark skies, the Leonids follow a couple of weeks later, and the month closes with the first of three consecutive supermoons: the Beaver Moon. Here’s what’s happening and when.

The Taurids bring slow, bright fireballs

November opens with the tail end of a two-part shower. The Southern Taurids, debris shed by comet 2P/Encke, peak overnight on November 4–5 under a thin, waning crescent Moon that leaves skies mostly dark. A week later, the Northern Taurids peak overnight on November 11–12, this time under a waxing crescent that sets early and stays out of the way. Neither branch produces many meteors — around 5 to 10 an hour at best — but what they lack in quantity they make up for in quality: Taurid meteors move slowly and are unusually prone to producing dramatic, long-lasting fireballs, and the overlap between the two showers in early-to-mid November occasionally brings a noticeable uptick in fireball reports.

The Leonids peak under a dark, moonless sky

The Leonid meteor shower — debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle — peaks overnight on November 17–18, typically producing 10 to 15 meteors an hour under a clear, dark sky. This year’s timing is close to ideal: the Moon is a thin waxing crescent that sets in the early evening, leaving the entire post-midnight window, when Leo’s radiant climbs highest, completely moon-free. The Leonids are known for their speed and bright, persistent trains, and while no outburst is predicted for 2026, the shower has a history of producing genuine meteor storms — most famously in 1833, 1966, and 2001 — roughly every 33 years as the parent comet swings back through the inner solar system.

The Full Moon on November 24 is the Beaver Moon

November’s Full Moon is the Beaver Moon. The Beaver Moon takes its name from the time of year when beavers prepare for winter and trappers historically set beaver traps before waterways froze. This year it’s also a supermoon, the first of three in a row running into January, meaning it sits close to perigee, its nearest point to Earth in its monthly orbit, and appears a little larger and brighter than an average Full Moon: about 6.5% larger and 13.5% brighter than usual. There’s no eclipse involved this time, just a big, bright Moon rising low on the eastern horizon at sunset.