Cozy Star Gazing, Gravity Chats, & Gratitude

To the Slooh community,

As we wrap up October and Orion brightens our longer nights, I'm taking a moment to reflect on everything we at Slooh are thankful for this season. Personally, as I complete my third month here, I am so grateful for the Slooh team that pours their hearts into creating the best platform to share the universe with everyone, and who believe so deeply in our core value: the universe belongs to everyone. To inspiring school partners who guide the next generation of explorers, thank you for your tireless work sharing the cosmos with your students. And to our amazing community of families, hobbyists, and lifelong learners who share in the joy of discovery, thank you for picking Slooh as the place to spend your time. We are over the moon (pun intended) that you are here and cannot wait to share all that we have in store for the coming year.

With my eyes on the stars and hope in my heart,

Dr. Emma Cain Louden

President, Slooh

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Your November Skywatching Guide

November 5th: Supermoon

Get ready for a lunar spectacle!  On November 5, the largest full moon of the year—a dazzling Supermoon—will light up the night sky.  Slooh is marking the occasion with a live virtual Star Party, featuring spectacular real-time views of the Super Beaver's Moon from our global observatories. Be sure to add the star party to your calendar here!

November 17th: Leonid meteor shower

The Leonids peak on the morning of November 17, and this year's show comes with a bonus: dark skies. With only a slender waning crescent moon, you'll have an unobstructed view of these cosmic speedsters as they streak across the night. Traveling at 44 miles per second, Leonids are some of the fastest meteors around, often leaving brilliant green trails that linger in the sky. Expect to see up to 15 meteors per hour at peak – perfect for a late-night stargazing session.

November 21st: Uranus at opposition

Uranus reaches opposition on November 21, appearing at its brightest and staying visible all night long. This is your best shot of the year to catch the ice giant in action. Look for it in Taurus, hanging out near the gorgeous Pleiades star cluster – a stunning cosmic neighborhood. While you might spot it with your naked eye under dark skies, binoculars or a telescope will reveal its pale blue-green glow, and using Slooh, you might even glimpse four of its 27 moons.

November Comets

Meanwhile, as Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) slips behind the Sun and out of view, a new cosmic guest takes center stage: Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN).  This icy interloper from the outer solar system is perfectly positioned for imaging from both our Northern and Southern Hemisphere telescopes. If it maintains its brightness, SWAN will remain visible well into 2026, offering a rare opportunity for long-term observation and discovery.

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The Gravity Chats

This past month, Slooh has launched Gravity Chats—a quarterly podcast hosted by our President, Dr. Emma Lourden, that takes you behind the telescope and into the minds of those shaping the future of astronomy education, STEM leadership, and citizen science. Each episode will feature teachers, superintendents, professors, and active Slooh users sharing their stories, insights, and discoveries.

Our first episode has officially aired, and we are so excited to have Stephanie Hanover, a long-time Slooh educator and advocate, as our very first special guest. Stephanie is a Middle and Upper School Faculty member at Allen Academy, a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison, and a NASA-JPL Solar System Ambassador. She’s spent her career bringing the universe into classrooms and inspiring students to look up and think big. We could not have asked for a better first guest to kick off this podcast, and tell us her story and her journey on Slooh with her students. We were especially touched listening to how Slooh impacted her and her students during the pandemic.

"And what really, really got us hooked on Slooh was that we started Slooh at our school the year that COVID happened...and where every other school lost connection, we gained connection in a way that I cannot even describe to you. These kids would FaceTime and jump from telescope to telescope, and they feel like Slooh kept their connection, not just at school, but when they felt very lost and confused in what was going on in the world...Slooh was honestly a lifesaver and such a game changer for these kids that I don't ever want to not do it again. "

Be sure to listen to Emma and Stephanie's conversation, now available anywhere you get your podcasts!

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November Quest Guide

November brings crisp skies, bright stars, and a spectacular full moon—making it the perfect month for new celestial captures and discoveries! Here are some Quests designed to make the most of November’s night sky.

Spotlight on the Beaver Supermoon: A rare beaver supermoon rises on November 5, 2025. It's the largest supermoon of the year! In the Beaver Supermoon 2025 Quest, students explore the origins and meaning of November's full moon and uncover what makes a supermoon so special.

Midnight with the Pleiades: For thousands of years, cultures around the world have celebrated the midnight culmination of the Pleiades. The Pleiades are steeped in myth and sky lore. The Midnight Culmination of the Pleiades Quest invites students to trace these ancient observations while learning how this celestial event can help them capture their best Slooh images. The Pleiades is our Featured Slooh 1000 object this month!

A Star's Journey: The all-new Life and Death of Stars Quest takes students through the complete life cycle of stars, from their birth in dense nebulae to their brilliant finales as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. Students will use HR diagrams to track how mass determines a star's fate.

Impact!: In the Crater Collector Quest, students capture and catalog 50 impact craters around the world, learning how scientists like Eugene Shoemaker proved that some craters were formed by meteorite impacts, not volcanoes. The final product—a large-format crater poster—makes for a striking classroom display.

Peering Through Two Lenses: In the From Slooh to JWST Quest (Grades 4–5), students compare their own Slooh images with those from the James Webb Space Telescope to see how professional and amateur astronomers work hand in hand to explore the Universe. This Quest is only available through February. Don't miss your chance to complete it!

These Quests are perfect for sparking curiosity as students head into the long nights of late autumn.

Student Spotlight

Our November student spotlight is on the winner of our Falling for the Moon contest! We are so grateful for all the wonderful poster submissions, but Alex, a 9th grader from Texas, was our winner with his creative poster submission (see below).

Here is what Alex wrote about his poster:

"My poster shows the different phases of the Moon, but what inspired me most was the story of Chang’e, the Moon Goddess from Chinese mythology. I love how her legend connects people to the Moon in such a magical way, and I wanted to capture that feeling in my design. Learning about her story made me think about how the Moon isn’t just a scientific object—it’s also something that has inspired imagination and traditions for thousands of years. That blend of science and mythology is what guided me when I was designing poster."

At Slooh, we love blending science with the arts, history, and imagination through our Quests—revealing that space science truly has something for everyone: the historian, the artist, the dreamer, and the scientist alike. Alex captured this beautifully in his poster, weaving mythology and astronomy together with such creativity and insight. Be sure to explore our mythology-themed Quests to discover how ancient stories still shine among the stars.

Featured Slooh 1000

Pleiades Open Star Cluster

Late November brings prime viewing of the Pleiades Open Star Cluster, one of the most iconic and beloved deep sky targets.  Rising early and visible all night long, the Pleiades shine brilliantly in the autumn sky—perfect for imaging with the huge field of view of Slooh’s Canary Three Deep Sky telescope.

Schedule your own mission to the Pleiades Open Star Cluster now!

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