November is one of the best months to stargaze in Terlingua. The nights are long, the air is cool and dry, and we’re sitting inside the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, one of the darkest places in the lower 48. Here’s what to look for this month, from naked-eye sights you can catch from your campsite to targets worth pulling out a telescope for.
Times below are Central Standard Time (daylight saving ends November 1).
Best nights for dark skies: November 3–15
The new moon falls on November 9, so the first half of the month gives you the darkest evenings. That’s the time to look for the Milky Way, faint galaxies and the zodiacal glow. The full “Beaver Moon” on November 24 will wash out faint objects that last week, but it’s a gorgeous moonrise over the Chisos.
Meteor showers
- Taurids (all month, peaks around Nov 5 and Nov 12): only a handful per hour, but the Taurids are known for slow, bright fireballs. Keep an eye out any clear night.
- Leonids (peak night of Nov 17–18): expect around 10–20 meteors an hour from a dark site like ours. The first-quarter moon sets around midnight, so the best viewing is from about midnight until dawn on the 18th, looking anywhere in the sky (the meteors radiate from Leo, which rises in the east late in the evening). No telescope needed, just a reclining chair and a blanket.
Planets
- Saturn is up at nightfall in the south. Its rings are easy in any small telescope, and it doesn’t set until after 2 a.m. mid-month.
- Mars and Jupiter rise around midnight in Leo. Before dawn on November 15 and 16 they sit only about 1.2° apart, close enough to fit in the same binocular view. Jupiter’s four big moons show up even in binoculars.
- Venus blazes in the east before sunrise. On the mornings of November 7–9 it passes about 1° from the bright star Spica, and late in the month it reaches its greatest brilliancy.
- Mercury joins in from about November 14 to 30, low in the east-southeast roughly 45 minutes before sunrise (greatest elongation Nov 20). With Venus, Mars and Jupiter, that makes a four-planet dawn parade.
- Uranus reaches opposition on November 25, in Taurus about 6° southeast of the Pleiades. It’s barely naked-eye in perfect skies and easy in binoculars or a telescope, but the full moon nearby makes it a challenge this year.
Telescope and binocular targets
- Andromeda Galaxy (M31): nearly overhead in the early evening. From Terlingua you can see it with the naked eye as a faint smudge, 2.5 million light-years away.
- The Pleiades (M45) and Hyades in Taurus: beautiful naked-eye star clusters, stunning in binoculars.
- The Double Cluster in Perseus: two star clusters side by side, a favorite in binoculars.
- Orion Nebula (M42): Orion clears the eastern horizon by mid-evening. By 10 p.m. the nebula is well placed for any telescope.
- Triangulum Galaxy (M33): a faint, face-on spiral that really needs Big Bend-dark skies. Try it during the new-moon week.
Tips for stargazing from the RV park
- Use a red flashlight and give your eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt.
- Desert nights in November drop fast after sunset. Bring layers, a hat and something warm to drink.
- Pre-dawn sights (Mars and Jupiter, Venus, Mercury) are easiest with a clear eastern horizon.
- A free planetarium app helps you find planets and track times for your exact date.
Come see it for yourself. Our sites at Terlingua Ghost Town Rentals & RV Park are steps from the ghost town and far from city lights. Ask us about guided stargazing with our friends at Big Bend After Dark, and book your November stay.