November 2004 Skies

In November the Sun continues lower in the daytime sky, while by night the Zodiac moves higher.  The SUN begins the month in the constellation LIBRA, and remains in Libra until November 23rd. It then enters SCORPIO for a brief six days.  On November 30th, the Sun moves into the constellation of OPHIUCHUS, where it will remain until December 18th.

Several remarkable sights will be visible in our November skies.

The Evening Sky
Evening Planets: MERCURY and SATURN

Sunset on November 1st occurs at 5:30p.m.  Sunsets creep earlier a bit each day until the fourth week of November.  Then, sunrise times will not change for about two weeks, during which sunsets will occur at about 5:14p.m. each day. (This period sees our earliest sunsets of the year). This curious situation results from the Earth’s slightly elliptical (non-circular) orbit around the Sun and Arizona’s geographic location in the Northern Hemisphere.

The MOON begins November nearly five days past Full.  November’s New MOON occurs near sunrise on the 12th in the constellation of LIBRA. 

On Saturday the 13th, a very thin “baby” crescent Moon may be seen low in the West in SCORPIO at about 5:50pm.  If you have a clear view down to the Western horizon, and a pair of binoculars, you may see a rare sight — the Moon sandwiched between Planet MERCURY and Scorpio’s red 1st-magnitude star ANTARES. 

On Thanksgiving evening (the 25th), the Moon rises near the PLEIADES (aka the “Seven Sisters”) in TAURUS and moves ever closer to the star cluster throughout the night.  By dawn on the 26th, the Moon is only 1-degree (twice its diameter) away from the Pleiades.  Shortly after noon that same day, the Moon stands opposite the Sun, so that evening will be November’s Full Moon.

Mercury is found in Libra on the 1st, moves into Scorpio on the 4th, and on to Ophiuchus on the 10th, where it spends the rest of the month.  Mercury’s orbit carries it farthest East from the Sun on November 23rd, when it will set76 minutes after sunset.  Even then, Mercury stands less than 15-degrees above the sunset horizon.  Binoculars will likely be needed to view Mercury!  For best results, look for it about a week before and after the 23rd.

Saturn rises about 10:40pm. on the 1st, and two hours earlier by month end.  It remains in GEMINI all month, and on the evening of November 30th, will be seen only 5-degrees South of the waning Moon.

The Morning Sky
Morning Planets: VENUS, MARS AND JUPITER

Sunrise occurs at 6:50a.m. on November 1st, and later each day. Sunrise on the 30th will be at 7:15a.m.

The waning MOON is visible in the morning sky through the 11th of the month and then again on the 27th.  On the morning of November 3rd look for the Moon near the bright star POLLUX in Gemini.  On the 9th, the Moon closes to within 2-degrees of JUPITER and stands about 5-degrees from VENUS.  Later in the morning, Arizonans equipped with a small telescope will see the Moon pass very close to Jupiter.  However, persons in Central and Northern Alaska will see the Moon eclipse (or “occult”) Jupiter and its 4 bright satellites!  On the next morning (Nov. 10th) the Moon will be close to the star SPICA and to Mars.  Look close to Moon on the morning of the 26th in Taurus to see the PLEIADES star cluster.

VENUS rises at 4:00a.m. on November 1st in the constellation VIRGO.  The planet continues to move slowly Eastward each day the Sun, rising nearly an hour later at month end, when it has moved into Libra.

JUPITER begins the month low in the east at dawn when it rises at 4:15 a.m., well below Venus.  Giant Jupiter remains in Virgo all month, and provides some spectacular sights.  First, Jupiter passes Venus on the 4th and 5th. Look for Jupiter within ¾ of one degree away from Venus on both mornings.  Also, look for Jupiter very close to the Moon on the morning of the 9th. 

On November 1st MARS rises at 5:15a.m. and may be difficult to see so near the Sun.  As Mars moves from Virgo into Libra late in the month, it will become easier to spot.  At month end, Mars will have nearly caught up with Venus low in the East at dawn.

What Else to See?  Several Moon-Planet close approaches (or “conjunctions”) are noted above.  But, observers with binoculars or small telescopes may want to watch the Moon occult (pass in front of) stars of 6th magnitude or brighter on the mornings of November 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 25th, 26th, and 27th, and  on the evenings of November 19th, 21st, 24th, 26th, 29th and the 30th.  A list of several such conjunctions may be found here.

November is the last month for convenient viewing of the “Summer Triangle” Milky Way constellations of CYGNUS, LYRA, and AQUILA.  High overhead during the summer and the past few months, these stars move lower into the West-Northwest each evening.  However, since the Sun sets earlier and rises later throughout November, there should be plenty of dark evenings (and mornings) for viewing November Skies. 

With binoculars or a small telescope it will be easy to observe many interesting objects in the Autumn and Winter sky.  The Pleiades star cluster in Taurus rises about 6:30 pm on the 1st, followed by ORION and GEMINI begin to rise about 9pm.  Check the Winter Milky Way in the constellations of CASSIOPEIA, PERSEUS (including the famous “Double Cluster”), AURIGA and GEMINI.  A slow sweep of the winter Milky Way will reveal many attractive star clusters.  The Orion Nebula (aka “Great Nebula in Orion” or Messier 42) is impressive even in binoculars and more so in a small telescope.  Prominent Double and Multiple Stars you can “split” with a small telescope include: Mizar in URSA MAJOR, Albireo (Beta Cygni) in Cygnus, Eta Cassiopeia in CASSIOPEIA, and Theta Orionis (“the Trapezium”) at the center of the M42 Orion Nebula.

On Friday evening, November 12th, the East Valley Astronomy Club has scheduled a free Public Star Party at the Riparian Preserve next door to the Gilbert Public Library.  Several telescopes will be set up for viewing many interesting astronomical objects.  The Club will also sponsor an astronomy lecture at 8:00 p.m. inside the Library.  Admission to the lecture is $3.

Good Luck Observing!