November Stargazing Near Pune & Mumbai

November is peak stargazing season — the perfect overlap of excellent skies and spectacular content. Cloud cover averages just 10%, temperatures are ideal (10–18°C), and the sky is filled with the most recognisable constellations of the year. The Leonids peak on November 17–18 — a shower that has historically produced spectacular meteor storms. Orion is back in the evening sky, and Jupiter dominates the night.

Sky Conditions in November

Cloud cover: ~10% — Excellent
Humidity: Low (45–60%)
Temperature at night: 10–18°C — comfortable, bring a light jacket
Seeing: Very good (stable air)
Milky Way: Galactic anti-centre visible; core below horizon
Best for: Leonids, Orion, Jupiter, winter deep sky

November 2026 Celestial Events

November 17–18: Leonids Meteor Shower ⭐

The Leonids are the most historically dramatic meteor shower in human record. In 1833, the Leonid storm produced an estimated 100,000 meteors per hour — observers described stars "raining down." Storms of 1,000–10,000/hour occurred in 1966, 1999, 2001, and 2002.

Normal years: 10–15 meteors per hour
Storm years: Thousands per hour — when Earth passes through a dense filament of debris from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle

2026 prediction: Normal activity (10–15/hour) with some uncertainty. The Leonids are always worth watching because outbursts cannot be perfectly predicted even days in advance.

Characteristics: Fastest meteors in the sky — 71 km/s. Bright, white, many with green tinges. Long persistent trains (glowing trails lasting 2–10 seconds after the meteor). Occasional fireballs.

Radiant: Leo (the Sickle asterism), rises in the east around midnight
Best time: 1 AM–5 AM on November 18, facing east-northeast
Expected rate from Maharashtra: 10–20 per hour (if no outburst)

Watch for: Single fireballs that leave glowing smoke trains visible for minutes. Even at normal rates, Leonids produce some of the most spectacular individual meteors of any shower.

Photography: 14–24mm, f/2.8, ISO 3200–6400, 15–20 seconds, continuous from 1 AM. Point east at ~40° elevation toward Leo.

November: Saturn at Best Evening Position

Saturn, now well up in the evening sky, reaches a good viewing position in November. Through any telescope with 50× or more magnification, the rings are instantly obvious and jaw-dropping. Saturn's rings are currently at a good tilt angle from Earth.

What you'll see through a telescope:

• The rings (the most recognisable object in telescopic astronomy)
• The Cassini Division — a dark gap in the rings visible in any 70mm+ telescope
• Titan — Saturn's largest moon, visible as a point of light

From Pawna or Velhe: Set up a telescope on the lakeside and invite fellow campers to look. Saturn through a telescope never fails to amaze people who haven't seen it before.

What's in the November Sky

Orion — The King Returns

Orion rises in the east by 9 PM in November and is overhead by midnight. This is the most recognisable constellation in the sky — three belt stars in a perfect row, with Betelgeuse (red, upper left) and Rigel (blue-white, lower right) flanking them.

Orion Nebula (M42): Visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch in Orion's "sword" (three stars below the belt). One of the most spectacular objects in the winter sky. In binoculars, it's a glowing nebula — a stellar nursery where new stars are forming right now. In a small telescope, the Trapezium (four hot young stars powering the nebula) is visible.

Betelgeuse: The red supergiant at Orion's shoulder. It's about 700 light-years away and if placed at the centre of our solar system, it would engulf Jupiter's orbit. It's been dimming and brightening in unusual patterns — some astronomers believe it may go supernova in the coming 100,000 years.

Jupiter at Its Best

Jupiter is prominent and high in the south in November evenings. Through binoculars, the four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto) are visible as points of light — you can watch their positions change night to night.

Through a 70mm+ telescope: Jupiter's cloud bands are visible. Through 100mm+: the Great Red Spot (a storm larger than Earth) may be glimpsed when it's on the facing hemisphere.

The Pleiades — Overhead at Midnight

The Pleiades cluster is almost directly overhead at midnight in November. At a dark site, try to count how many individual stars you can see — 6 is easy, 7 requires good eyes, 9+ is exceptional. Binoculars reveal hundreds.

Taurus and Aldebaran

Taurus the Bull is prominent in the east. The V-shaped Hyades cluster (the bull's face) surrounds Aldebaran — a red giant star 65 light-years away. The Hyades themselves are 150 light-years away; Aldebaran is in the foreground.

Winter Deep Sky Season Opens

November marks the start of the best deep-sky viewing season for northern winter objects from Maharashtra.

Open clusters: The Pleiades (M45), Hyades, Double Cluster (Perseus), M36/M37/M38 (Auriga) — all spectacular in binoculars. November–February is the season for cluster-hopping.

Nebulae: The Orion Nebula (M42) and the California Nebula (NGC 1499 in Perseus) are now accessible. The Crab Nebula (M1 in Taurus) — remnant of a supernova observed in 1054 AD — is well-placed.

Double stars: Cold, dry air produces excellent "seeing" — stable, sharp images. November through January is ideal for splitting double stars through a telescope.

Best Locations in November

All dark sky sites are operating at peak condition. The Sahyadri highlands have cooled to comfortable temperatures.

For Leonids (Nov 17-18): Velhe or Pawna are ideal. Book accommodation for the night of the 17th — you'll be watching from midnight onward.

For general winter sky: Any Bortle 3 or better site. Mulshi and Rajmachi are particularly beautiful with the cooler temperatures and clear nights.

If you only plan one stargazing trip to the Sahyadri in the year, November is the month to choose it. The combination of reliable clear skies, comfortable temperatures, spectacular winter constellations, and the possibility (however uncertain) of a Leonid display makes November the highest expected-value month for Maharashtra stargazing.