November Podcast: Five Fascinating Stars

From :- Sky & Telescope

By: J. Kelly Beatty 

Edited by: Amal Udawatta

   

During the last months of 2025, Saturn and the star Fomalhaut are the only two easy-to-spot objects in a southern sky full of faint constellations (as seen from mid-northern latitudes).
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In this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast, we’ll watch two sets of shooting stars, spot some bright planets, point out a few late-autumn constellations, and put a spotlight on five interesting stars.

November is the month when those of us in the U.S. and Canada adjust our clocks to “fall back” an hour to standard time. That takes place before dawn on November 2nd in the U.S. and Canada, a week later than it does for our friends in Europe. Mexico and tropical countries don’t make the change at all, nor do China or Russia.

The return to standard time means that most of us are still heading home from work as evening’s twilight sets in. That’s just fine, though, because you can sneak in a little stargazing before dinnertime.

Among the bright planets, only Saturn continues to grace the evening sky. Trailing well behind Saturn is brilliant Jupiter. As darkness falls, it’s nowhere to be seen, but it pops over the eastern horizon by 10 p.m. early in November and by 8 p.m. at month’s end. By early January, it’ll rise into view by twilight and remain in view all night.

Saturn current sits in a large area of sky with few bright stars. The only one nearby if Fomalhaut, in the southern constellation Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish. (Do you know this star’s nickname? Listen to this month’s Sky Tour podcast to find out!) The stars that frame Piscis Austrinus — along with those for Pisces, Cetus, Aquarius, Capricornus, and Sculptor — are difficult to pick out unless your sky is very dark.

But don’t fret over the dearth of bright planets and dazzling constellations on these November evenings. This month’s Sky Tour introduces you to five bright stars, all easily visible throughout the month, that have interesting characteristics. One is a quadruple-star system, while another is a triple star. Two have very rapid rotation rates, and another has at least one planet in orbit around it. All five are pictured below. Do you know which of these descriptions apply to which stars? Listen to the podcast for the answers!

  In late autumn, northern observers can track down five bright stars with interesting stories to tell.

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November also features not one but two meteor showers: the Taurids and the Leonids. Both are relatively weak, but one of them is rich in fireballs — and might even deliver more fireballs than average this year. Which of the two is it? Yep, you guessed it: Listen to Sky Tour to find out!