Skywatch Line for Wednesday and Thursday, November 26 and 27, 2025, written by Alan French

This is Dudley Observatory’s Skywatch Line for Wednesday and Thursday, November 26 and 27, 2025, written by Alan French.

The Sun rises at 7:01 A.M. on Wednesday and sets at 4:24 P.M. On Thursday it rises at 7:02 A.M. and sets at 4:24 P.M. This Thursday has lost just under 12 ½ minutes of daylight compared to last Thursday.

The Moon is moving toward first quarter and will grace the early evening sky. On Wednesday look for the Moon toward the south at 5:30 P.M., its visible face 36% in sunlight and lying 29 above the horizon. The Moon will set at 10:04 P.M. in the west southwest.

At 5:30 on Thursday evening the Moon will be 34 ½ degrees above the southern horizon and will be 46% in sunlight. It will set at 11:14 P.M. and reach first quarter at 1:59 A.M. Friday morning.

With the terminator, now the sunrise line, approaching the Moon’s middle this is a good time for lunar observing. Along the terminator the Sun is low in the lunar sky and shadows are long, so detail stands out boldly. It is fun to catch a mountain peak or crater floor just over into darkness catch the first rays of the rising Sun and watch as sunlight slowly illuminates and reveals more of it. I often pick several features catching sunlight just over the terminator to visit repeatedly during an observing session and enjoy how each change with the increased illumination. The differences will be even more remarkable the following night.

There are passes of the ISS (International Space Station) across the northern skies on both nights, but they are low and you will need a good view to the north. There also a second pass on Thursday night, with the ISS only appearing briefly and making a quick exit as it moves into the Earth’s shadow and vanishes.

Wednesday night’s ISS pass begins at 5:46 P.M. low in the northwest. Just after 5:47 P.M. the space station will be moving above the end of the Big Dipper’s handle. By 5:48 it will be traveling above the Dipper’s bowl. It will pass below Polaris, the North Star, just before 5:49, and will move into the Earth’s shadow and fade from view as it is headed toward bright Capella, low in the northeast. At its brightest the ISS will reach magnitude -2.6, outshine magnitude +0.08 Capella.

The first ISS pass Thursday is along roughly the same track, but lower in the sky and earlier and the ISS will reach a maximum brightness of -2.3. It will appear low in the northwest just after 4:58 P.M. Just after 4:59 the space station will be passing below the Big Dipper’s handle and at 5:00 it will pass through the handle just behind the Dipper’s bowl. It will then pass above the bowl and then well below Polaris just after 5:01. By 5:02 it will be headed toward Capella and will pass above Capella a little over half-a-minute later. Its path will then take it low across the eastern horizon where it will move into the Earth’s shadow and fade from view.

The second pass on Thursday will be short. The ISS will move directly up from the west northwestern horizon at 6:35 P.M. At 6:37 it will be approaching the head of Draco, the dragon, and will move into the Earth’s shadow and fade from view before reaching Draco. At its brightest it will be magnitude -2.2 and should be easy to spot against the twilight free skies.