As nights grow longer this autumn, people in the northern hemisphere can watch five special events in the night sky. From bright stars and planets to fast meteor showers and a supermoon, there is plenty to see over the coming months.
The events start with the Pleiades, a cluster of young stars in the constellation Taurus. This group of stars is about 440 light years from Earth, and most people can see six of its stars with their naked eyes. Later in October, the Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak around October 21. Meteors are streaks of light created when tiny pieces of dust from Halley's comet enter Earth's atmosphere at high speed and burn up.
In mid-November, early risers can look at a gathering of four planets before sunrise. Around November 14, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter will all appear above the horizon. Venus and Jupiter are very bright and easy to spot, while Mercury is harder to see because it stays low near the rising sun.
Later in November, the Leonid meteor shower peaks around November 17. These meteors move at about 70 kilometers per second, making them some of the fastest meteors visible from Earth. Under dark skies, people may see 10 to 15 meteors an hour. Finally, on November 24, the full Beaver Moon will appear as a supermoon. A supermoon happens when the full Moon is close to Earth, so it looks slightly larger and brighter than usual.