November 7, 2025: The moon appears near Aldebaran, the Bull’s eye, before sunrise and nearly eclipses the star Elnath after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:31 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:37 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
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Morning Moon
This morning the moon passes Aldebaran, Taurus brightest star that marks the Bull’s eye in celestial artwork.
During early twilight, about an hour before sunrise, the bright gibbous moon, 95% illuminated, is less than halfway from the west horizon and overhead. It is in front of Taurus, over 10° to the upper right of Aldebaran.
The star is the ninth brightest star visible from the mid-northern latitudes and the seventh brightest at this hour, not including planets Venus and Jupiter. Its name means “the follower,” also attributed to the nearby Hyades star cluster, in that it follows the Pleiades across the sky. The cluster is nearly 15° to Aldebaran’s lower right, though the moonlight washes it out without a binocular’s assist.
Aldebaran’s red-orange color tells us its temperature, not as hot as the sun’s 10,000° F photosphere – the sun’s apparent surface. Its estimated size is over 10 times the sun’s diameter and it shines with the intensity of over 150 suns. All from a distance of about 70 light years.
Watch the moon appear higher in the west from morning to morning over the next several nights.
Night Moon
Meanwhile the lunar orb rises later, tonight over two hours after nightfall. An hour later, it is nearly 15° up in the east-northeast and the same distance to the lower right of Aldebaran.
The moon is near Elnath, the Bull’s northern horn. For sky watchers in South America and Africa, the moon occults (eclipses) the star.
If you sky watch before sunrise, find the moon somewhat near Aldebaran or near one of its horns after sunset.
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