Visible planets and night sky November 2022

On the morning of November 16, 2022, the last quarter moon lies among the stars of the Sickle asterism in Leo. You’ll notice Leo’s brightest star, Regulus. Then on November 17, 2022, the moon is still near Regulus, but on the other side of the Sickle. We typically associate Regulus with the season of spring. And indeed, it’ll be back in our evening sky about 5 months from now! Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

Available now! 2023 EarthSky lunar calendar. A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar showing phases of the moon every night of the year. Makes a great gift!

Visible planets (evening)

Saturn is high in the sky after sunset – golden in color, shining steadily – perfect for observing in the evening.
Jupiter is easy to spot, brighter than all the stars. It’s high in the east after sunset, and sets earlier each night – after midnight – throughout the month.
Mars rises in the east a few hours after sunset. It’s very red now and brighter than most stars, racing towards its December 8 opposition, when Earth will fly between Mars and the sun.

Visible planets (morning)

On November mornings, Mars is shining brightly in the west (direction opposite the sunrise horizon).

Where are Venus and Mercury?

Venus, the brightest planet and next planet inward from Earth in orbit around the sun – went behind the sun as seen from Earth on October 22. So, Venus is hidden in the sun’s glare now. Later, it’ll return to our evening sky before the year ends.

Mercury is lost in morning light early November and then is barely visible after twilight at month’s end. Also, Mercury goes behind the sun as seen from Earth on November 8.

November 12, 2022. Venus and Mercury can be seen to the left of the sun (which is occulted by a disk) on this image. Both of our sun’s inner planets have recently passed behind the sun as viewed from Earth. Mercury will emerge into the western sky after sunset around the second week of December. Venus will come back to that same part of the sky, about the middle of December. LASCO C3. Image via NASA SOHO.

Before you begin

People often ask if our charts apply to them. Yes, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. Not as precisely, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere. Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Looking for a dark sky? Try EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze

In this article:

• Night sky guide November 2022
• November-December 2022 heliocentric solar system
• Some resources to enjoy

Visible planets and night sky guide November, 2022

November, nightfall to dawn: Mars!

Mars and Jupiter are the 2 bright planets in November’s evening sky. By mid-November, red Mars is ascending in the east around the time true darkness falls. And you can watch throughout November, as Mars slides between the Horns of the Bull in Taurus. By November 30, Mars will be closest to Earth for this 2-year period (50.6 million miles, or 81.4 million km, away). And it’ll continue to brighten between now and December 8, when Earth will catch up to Mars in the race of the planets around the sun, bringing Mars to its once-in-2-years opposition. Notice the dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster near Mars. And watch for red Aldebaran, fiery Eye of the Bull. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

November evenings: Jupiter is brightest

Jupiter, our solar system’s biggest planet, is the brightest “star” in the November evening sky. You can’t miss it! Also, if you have a dark sky, you can see it lies below the western side of the Great Square, a group of 4 stars in Pegasus the Flying Horse. And, between the Great Square and Jupiter is a pretty, but faint group of stars known as the Circlet in the constellation Pisces. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

November evenings: Saturn is fainter, but golden

Saturn isn’t as bright as Jupiter or Mars. But it’s up in the November, 2022, evening sky as well. Watch for Saturn from sunset until it sets around 10:30 p.m. local time. Golden Saturn – faintest of the bright planets – shines in the dim, but pretty constellation Capricornus the Sea-goat. In a dark sky, you can see Capricornus as an arrowhead pattern. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

The instant of last quarter moon is 13:27 UTC (7:27 a.m. CST) on November 16

November 20 and 21 mornings: Moon near Spica

On the morning of November 20, 2022, the waning crescent moon floats in the sky near the star Spica. Spica is the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. The following morning, November 21, 2022, finds the moon on the other side of Spica shortly before sunrise. Also, the beautiful glow you see on the unlit portion of the moon is earthshine. Read more about the moon by Spica. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

The instant of new moon is 22:57 UTC (4:57 p.m. CDT) on November 23.

November 25 and 26 evenings: Moon near Teapot

The waxing crescent moon sinks among the Teapot stars of Sagittarius shortly after sunset on November 25 and 26, 2022. By the way, the thin crescent moon looks beautiful with earthshine. Read more about the moon near the Teapot. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

November 28 and 29 evenings: Moon near Saturn

The thick waxing crescent moon hangs low in the south after sunset on November 28 and 29 , 2022. The bright object by the moon both nights is the beautiful ringed planet, Saturn. Read more about the moon near Saturn. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

The instant of 1st quarter moon is 14:36 UTC on November 30 (8:36 a.m. CST)

November-December 2022 heliocentric solar system planets

The sun-centered charts below come from Guy Ottewell. You’ll find charts like these for every month of 2022 here, in his Astronomical Calendar. Guy Ottewell explains:

In these views from ecliptic north, arrows (thinner when south of the ecliptic plane) are the paths of the four inner planets. Dots along the rest of the orbits are five days apart (and are black for the part of its course that a planet has trodden since the beginning of the year). Also, semicircles show the sunlit side of the new and full moon (vastly exaggerated in size and distance). Additionally, pairs of lines point outward to the more remote planets.

Phenomena such as perihelia (represented by ticks) and conjunctions (represented by lines between planets) are at dates that can be found in the Astronomical Calendar. Likewise, Gray covers the half of the universe below the horizon around 10 p.m. at mid-month (as seen from the equator). The zodiacal constellations are in directions from the Earth at mid-month (not from the sun).

View larger. | Heliocentric view of solar system, November 2022. Chart via Guy Ottewell.

View larger. | Heliocentric view of solar system, December 2022. Chart via Guy Ottewell.

Some resources to enjoy

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. It’s free!

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

Translate Universal Time (UTC) to your time.

See the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.

Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.

Great resource and beautiful wall chart: Guy Ottewell’s zodiac wavy chart.

Amateur astronomers are buzzing! Guy Ottewell is offering his beloved Astronomical Calendar for 2023 in both electronic and printed versions.

Guy Ottewell’s Zodiac Wavy Chart is a 2-by-3 foot (0.6 by 0.9 meter) poster displaying the movements of the sun, moon and planets throughout the year. You can purchase it here. Image via Guy Ottewell.

Bottom line: In November, the morning planet is Mars. In the evening, the gas giant planets Saturn and Jupiter dominate the southern sky as night falls, with bright Mars rising in mid-evening.

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