What to observe in the sky in November 2025 with a smart telescope.
27 Oct. 2025
November 2025 astronomical calendar
It is recommended to observe nebulae and galaxies when the Moon is not visible. Its brightness diminishes the darkness of the sky and reduces the quality of observations of faint and diffuse objects.
Refer to the following calendar for the best days this month.
2 November
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) still visible just after sunset in the constellation Serpens, with an estimated magnitude of 5–6.
5 November
Full Moon
15 November
Leonid Meteor Shower Peak
16 November
With the Moon waning, we enter the best period to observe the Pleiades.
20 November
New Moon
Celestial Scene of the Month
Northern sky
Flaming Star & Tadpole nebula
In the constellation Auriga lie two emission nebulae that are often overlooked: the Flaming Star Nebula and the Tadpole Nebula. They may not be the most famous emission nebulae, but they are close enough to each other to fit within a single field of view.Together they reveal a wealth of detail, accompanied by star clusters and surrounding hydrogen structures that create a rich celestial tapestry.
A useful approach is to capture two separate observations and combine them afterward:
one using the dual-band filter to bring out the deep red hydrogen emission,
and another without a filter to preserve the blue tones of the young stars, which stand out beautifully in contrast.
Allow at least two mosaic cycles for the dual-band observation (three cycles if time allows). One cycle is usually enough for the star-color capture without a filter.
Southern sky
Eridanus / Fornax Galaxy Cluster (Fornax II)
The southern sky may not be as rich in galaxies as the northern hemisphere, but it still hosts some remarkable targets, including galaxy clusters. On the border between Eridanus and Fornax lies a galaxy cluster containing around 200 galaxies, including 73 major members.
The cluster’s core is fairly compact. With Vespera II, you only need to slightly extend the field of view to capture most of the main galaxies. With Vespera Pro, thanks to its square-format sensor, no extension is required to frame the core region.
However, if you want to include the full extent of the cluster, including the mag 8.5 spiral galaxy NGC 1316, you’ll need to go even wider.
"Plan my Night" of the month
Suggested observation program you can automate with "Plan My Night."
Give each object as much observation time as you can to get the best results.
Northern sky
Do not use a dual band filter
| Time | Target |
|---|---|
| Early Night |
Caldwell 30 (NGC 7331) |
| Mid Night |
Pleiades |
| Late Night |
M78 - The Cosmic Lantern (NGC 2068) |
Southern sky
Do not use a dual band filter
| Time | Target |
|---|---|
| Early Night |
The Skull Nebula, Caldwell 56, NGC 246 |
| Mid Night |
Sculptor Galaxy / Silver Coin Galaxy, Caldwell 65, NGC 253 |
| Late Night |
M78 - The Cosmic Lantern (NGC 2068) |
Around the full moon
During the few nights surrounding the full moon, it's best to focus on star clusters, which are less affected by the Moon’s light pollution.
Northern sky
Messier 35 et NGC 2158, open clusters, mag. 5.1 / 8.6, constellation: Gemini
Southern sky
Messier 41, open cluster, mag. 4.5, constellation: Canis Major
Challenging Target of the Month
Cocoon Nebula and Surrounding Region
Visibility: Northern hemisphere
Constellation: Cygnus
Type: Mixed-type nebulae
With a magnitude of around 7, the Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is not an especially difficult target. However, with longer integration times, there is far more to uncover than the small reddish patch that first appears.
A prominent dark molecular cloud, Barnard 168, seems to form a tail stretching away from the nebula, while faint ionized hydrogen clouds fill the background.
Because this region contains a mix of emission and dark nebulae, capturing it both with and without a dual-band filter will reveal different aspects of the scene. Combining the two results ultimately provides the most complete and compelling image of this field.
Chamaeleon Molecular Cloud — Chamaeleon III
Visibility: Southern hemisphere
Constellation: Chamaeleon
Type: dark nebula
Want to push the limits of your Vespera smart telescope? This is the target to try.
The Chamaeleon constellation hosts a vast molecular cloud — a dark nebula visible only because it blocks the background stars. The most interesting region is Chamaeleon III, located near the star Beta Chamaeleontis, recognizable by its distinctive inverted “A” shape.
Since the cloud is very large, don’t hesitate to use Mosaic Mode if you have enough time. This is a challenging target, so many hours of integration will be required to reveal its delicate structures.
This object is not included in the Singularity catalog, so you’ll need to create a manual target.
You can use these coordinates as a starting point:
Right Ascension: 12h 36m 04s
Declination: −80° 24′ 40″
Magnitude and angular size reminder
