The Taurids: Autumn Fireballs from the Bull (Taurus)
If you are outdoors on a dark November night and see a slow, bright meteor gliding across the sky, there is a good chance it is a Taurid. This modest but much-loved meteor shower is active right now, and 2026 offers it a gift: a New Moon on November 9, just before the Northern Taurids reach their peak.
Two Showers from One Comet
The Taurids are really two streams of debris. The Southern Taurids are active from about September 20 to November 20 and peaked around November 4–5. The Northern Taurids run from about October 20 to December 10 and peak on the nights of November 11–12. Both come mainly from Comet 2P/Encke, which has one of the shortest orbits of any known comet, returning to the Sun every 3.3 years. Over thousands of years it has scattered a wide trail of dust and pebbles along its path, and the Earth crosses that trail every autumn.
Slow Meteors, Bright Fireballs
Don't expect a storm. Each branch gives only about five meteors per hour under a dark sky. What makes the Taurids special is their style. They meet our atmosphere at less than 30 km per second, slow compared with many other showers, so they seem to drift across the sky rather than flash. The stream also carries larger particles than usual, which is why the Taurids are famous for fireballs: meteors brighter than Venus that can leave a glowing trail. Every few years the Earth passes through a denser part of the stream and fireballs become more frequent. 2026 is not expected to be one of these "swarm" years, but a few bright Taurids are likely all the same.
Read more: The Taurids: Autumn Fireballs from the Bull (Taurus)
Spica, the Maiden’s Ear of Wheat: Venus and the Crescent Moon Meet in Virgo
This weekend the dawn sky offers one of the loveliest sights of the autumn. Low in the east-southeast before sunrise, Venus, the brilliant Morning Star, is shining right next to Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. On Saturday, November 7, a very thin crescent Moon joins them, completing a delicate trio against the stars of the Maiden.
A Gathering in the Real Constellation of Virgo
In the 13-sign zodiac, which follows the real constellations, Venus and the Moon are both in Virgo (September 17 – October 30) this weekend, even though the Sun itself has already moved on to Libra (October 31 – November 22). Venus is retrograde at the moment, slowly drifting westward. It turns direct around mid-November and stays close to Spica for the rest of the month.
On Friday morning, November 6, the crescent Moon, about 8% lit, stands higher up and to the right of Venus. By Saturday morning it has slipped down to just a few degrees from the planet and the star, only about 4–5% illuminated. Look about 45 minutes before sunrise, with a clear view of the horizon. Venus is unmistakable; binoculars will help you catch the Moon and Spica in the brightening twilight. The next Venus, Moon and Spica gathering this close will not happen until 2034.
Who Is the Maiden?
Virgo is the largest constellation of the zodiac and the second-largest in the whole sky. The Greeks saw in it several goddesses. For the poet Aratus, she was Dike, or Astraea, the goddess of justice, who lived among people in the Golden Age. As humanity grew greedy and violent, she withdrew to the mountains and finally rose to the sky, where she still shines beside the Scales of Libra.
Others saw her as Demeter, the goddess of grain and harvest, or her daughter Persephone. That is why the Maiden is often pictured holding an ear of wheat, and the name Spica means exactly that: "the ear of grain" in Latin. In ancient times, the Sun's passage through Virgo coincided with the harvest.
Read more: Spica, the Maiden’s Ear of Wheat: Venus and the Crescent Moon Meet in Virgo
Libra: The Scales That Were Once a Scorpion’s Claws
Right now the Sun is passing in front of the stars of Libra, the only figure in the zodiac that is an object rather than a living being. In 13-sign astrology, which follows the real constellations, the Sun stays in Libra (October 31 – November 22) before moving on to Scorpio (November 23 – November 29). Libra is faint and easy to overlook, yet it has one of the most interesting stories in the sky.
From Claws to Scales
For the ancient Greeks, these stars did not form a constellation of their own. They were the Chelae, the outstretched claws of the great Scorpion next door. Even in Ptolemy's Almagest, the standard star catalogue of antiquity, the region still appears under the name "the Claws".
The idea of a balance is older still. Babylonian astronomers already linked this part of the sky with scales, and the Romans later revived the image and made Libra a firm member of the zodiac. In their version, the scales often belong to the neighbouring maiden Virgo, pictured as Astraea, the goddess of justice.
Star Names That Remember the Past
The old claws survive in the names of Libra's two brightest stars. Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae) means "the southern claw", and Zubeneschamali (Beta Librae) means "the northern claw". Both come from Arabic and preserve the time when Libra was part of Scorpius.
Zubenelgenubi lies about 77 light-years from us. Binoculars show it as a wide pair of stars. It also sits very close to the ecliptic, the path of the Sun, so the Moon and the planets often pass near it. Zubeneschamali is the constellation's brightest star, roughly 185 light-years away. Some observers have described it as having a greenish tint, although most people see it as blue-white.
Read more: Libra: The Scales That Were Once a Scorpion’s Claws
Mercury Meets the Sun in Libra: The Inferior Conjunction of November 4, 2026
On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at about 14:24 UT (16:24 Greek time), the planet Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun. Astronomers call this moment an inferior conjunction. It marks the midpoint of Mercury's current retrograde loop – and it takes place against the stars of Libra, not Scorpio, where tropical horoscopes place it.
What is an inferior conjunction?
Mercury and Venus are the two "inferior" planets: their orbits lie inside the Earth's. Twice in each cycle they line up with the Sun as seen from Earth. When a planet is on the far side of the Sun, we speak of a superior conjunction. When it swings between us and the Sun, at its closest to Earth, it is an inferior conjunction.
Mercury is the fastest planet in the Solar System, so it repeats this cycle about every 116 days – three or four times a year. Around inferior conjunction, Mercury turns its unlit side towards us and is completely lost in the Sun's glare. You could call it a "new Mercury", much like a New Moon.
Read more: Mercury Meets the Sun in Libra: The Inferior Conjunction of November 4, 2026
Venus pentagram: Why the Morning Star Matters in 13-Sign Astrology
Look east before sunrise in the coming weeks and you will see something special: Venus, the brightest planet in our sky, rising again as the Morning Star. After weeks of absence, the planet of love and beauty is returning to view, and its return carries a surprising link to the number 13.
From Evening Star to Morning Star
For much of 2026, Venus shone in the western sky after sunset as the Evening Star. In late October it passed between the Earth and the Sun, an event astronomers call inferior conjunction. For a few days it was lost in the Sun's glare. Now it is reappearing on the other side of the Sun, rising before dawn.
The ancient Greeks once believed these were two different stars. They called the evening one Hesperos and the morning one Phosphoros, the "light-bringer", known to the Romans as Lucifer. Pythagoras and, before him, Babylonian sky-watchers realised that both were the same wandering light.
Venus Retrograde in Virgo
Around inferior conjunction, Venus seems to move backwards against the stars. This is its retrograde period, an optical effect that happens because the Earth and Venus pass each other on their orbits. Right now, retrograde Venus sits in the constellation Virgo (September 17 – October 30 in 13-sign astrology). It turns direct again around mid-November and climbs higher in the dawn sky, reaching its greatest distance from the Sun in early 2027.
In astrology, a Venus retrograde is traditionally a time to reflect on relationships, values and what we find beautiful. Instead of starting something brand new, it is a season to revisit, repair and rediscover.
The Pentagram and the Number 13
Venus has one of the most elegant rhythms in the solar system. It returns to the same position relative to the Sun every 584 days, its synodic period. Five of these cycles add up to almost exactly eight Earth years. If you mark the five places where inferior conjunctions occur against the zodiac, they trace a nearly perfect five-pointed star, the famous "pentagram of Venus".
Read more: Venus pentagram: Why the Morning Star Matters in 13-Sign Astrology
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