What to See in the Night Sky Over Estes Park in November 2026

November is the best month of the fall for stargazing over Estes Park. The air turns crisp and clear, the summer crowds are gone, and the sky delivers a full calendar: two meteor showers, the darkest week of the season, a supermoon, and a planet at its brightest. This is the first edition of our monthly night sky guide. Each month we will lay out what is up, when to look, and which nights are worth losing sleep over.

November 1 to 8: fireballs and building darkness

The month opens with the South Taurid meteor shower peaking the night of November 4 to 5. The Taurids are slow and bright, famous for fireballs, and they produce only about five meteors an hour, so patience pays. The Moon cooperates beautifully: it shrinks to a slim crescent as the peak approaches, and the new moon falls on November 9, so the darkest skies of the month arrive right on cue. The nights of November 6 through 8 are dark, clear of moonlight, and excellent for the Milky Way's fainter winter band and for deep sky targets.

Saturn rides in the southern sky in the evening, an easy telescope target all month. The Pleiades star cluster climbs high in the east as the evening goes on, bright and unmistakable even in town.

November 9 to 16: the dark week

The new moon on November 9 opens the darkest week of the month. If you have one week to plan a night out, this is it. Faint stars, the winter Milky Way band running through Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Orion, and the Orion Nebula rising in the east by late evening are all at their best. This is also the week to try a phone photo of the Milky Way, with no moonlight to wash it out.

The North Taurid meteor shower peaks the night of November 11 to 12, inside the same dark window. Expect the same slow, bright Taurid character as the South peak, about five an hour, with a good chance of a fireball if you stay out long enough.

November 17 to 24: Leonids, then the supermoon

The Leonid meteor shower peaks the night of November 17 to 18. The Leonids are fast and bright, producing about 10 to 15 meteors an hour under dark skies, and the Moon sets just after midnight, leaving the rest of the night dark. Look after midnight, facing east, and give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt.

The month's full moon, the Beaver Moon, arrives on November 24, and it is a supermoon, the full moon nearest perigee in this stretch of the calendar. It will look slightly larger and brighter than an average full moon, most noticeably as it rises near the horizon. The full moon week is for Moon watching and moonlit landscapes, not for faint stars. The Moon itself, through binoculars or a telescope, is spectacular: craters, mountain ranges, and bright rays across the surface.

November 25 to 30: Uranus and the winter sky

Uranus reaches opposition on November 25, the night it sits opposite the Sun and closest to Earth for the year. At magnitude 5.6 it is just at the edge of naked eye visibility under the darkest skies, and an easy binocular or small telescope target in Taurus, between the Pleiades and the Hyades star clusters. It shows as a small, steady, blue green disc, distinct from the twinkling stars around it.

By late November the winter constellations own the evening. Orion rises in the east with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel. Taurus and the Pleiades ride high. Gemini follows. Capella blazes in Auriga overhead, and Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, rises late in the evening in Canis Major. The bright core of the Milky Way has set for the season, but the fainter winter band overhead is still a beautiful sight on a moonless night.

All month long

The International Space Station makes bright passes over Estes Park in the early morning hours at the start of the month, including a near overhead pass on October 31 at 6:30 AM. Check a current prediction before you go, since the schedule shifts every few weeks.

Rocky Mountain National Park is open 24 hours a day, and the timed entry reservation system has ended for the 2026 season, so evening access just takes a park pass. Dress for cold. November nights run cold, and standing still under a clear sky feels colder than the thermometer says. Red light only, and give your eyes 20 minutes in the dark.

Quick answers

What is the best night to stargaze in November 2026? The new moon week, November 6 through 12, with the Taurid peaks on November 4 to 5 and November 11 to 12.

When do the Leonids peak? The night of November 17 to 18, best after midnight once the Moon has set.

Is the November full moon a supermoon? Yes. The Beaver Moon on November 24 is a supermoon, slightly larger and brighter than an average full moon.

Can I see Uranus in November? Yes, at opposition on November 25. Use binoculars or a small telescope and look in Taurus, between the Pleiades and the Hyades.

Is the Milky Way visible in November? The bright core has set for the season. The fainter winter band through Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Orion is visible on moonless nights.

See it with a guide

Every event in this guide is better with someone who knows where to point. Our Stargaze tour runs on clear nights in Rocky Mountain National Park all month, and November's Taurid peaks are part of the show. See the Stargaze tour here: https://estesparktourguides.com/products/hikebyheadlamp