SkyEye

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).

The Sun and Moon

There are no eclipses this month. As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Libra through Scorpius and ending in Ophiuchus.

The phases of the Moon are

Full : 4 November
Last Quarter : 11 November
New : 19 November
First Quarter : 27 November

The Moon is at perigee on 4 November and at apogee on 17 November. The fact that the Full Moon coincides with perigee means that the Earth will experience very high tides that day.

The Moon occults two bright planets, one minor planet, and two first-magnitude stars this month. At 1 UT on 6 November, bright Aldebaran slides behind the Moon's disk. This occurs during night-time hours in the east coast of North America, the north Atlantic Ocean, and much of Europe. Three hours later, Mexico, Central America, the southern United States, parts of the Atlantic Ocean, southern Europe, and North Africa watch 1 Ceres disappear behind the limb of the Moon. Regulus is occulted at 23 UT on 11 November but unfortunately, this event occurs during daylight hours in the Indian Ocean and parts of Australia. Another daytime occultation happens on 13 November when the Moon swallows up Mars at 19 UT. This is visible from Japan, the north Pacific Ocean, and the United States. Finally, Jupiter is occulted during the day on 28 November at 1 UT in an event visible from the south Pacific Ocean and the southern parts of South America.

The Planets

The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars. This chart shows the positions of the Sun and planets at mid-month.
Mercury
Mercury races past red Antares on 9 November. Two days later, the closest planet to the Sun reaches greatest elongation east. Mercury begins retrograde motion on 21 November which causes it to swing back by Antares on the last day of the month. On its way, however, it passes close by Venus on 28 November. This is the best time to look for Mercury after sunset but northern observers are likely to be disappointed. The best views are in the southern hemisphere. This bright but elusive planet can be found moving from the constellation Scorpius to Ophiuchus.
Venus
Venus has two close encounters this month. The first is with the first-magnitude star Antares on 25 November and then Mercury gets in on the act on 28 November. Unfortunately, Venus is still too close to the Sun this month to be easily visible due to its reaching superior conjunction late last month. This brightest of planets may be found not far from the Sun in the constellations of Libra, Scorpius, and Ophiuchus.
Mars
The red planet is occulted by the Moon during daylight hours on 13 November. Mars is in the constellations Leo and Virgo so it does not rise until after midnight.
Jupiter
Jupiter reverses direction in the sky on 14 November when it resumes prograde motion. Later, on 28 November, the largest planet is occulted by the Moon during the daytime. Jupiter sets after midnight in the constellation Aquarius.
Saturn
The ringed planet is up all night this month since it reached opposition late last month. Look for it in the constellation Pisces.
Uranus
Uranus is just on the edge of naked-eye visibility and sets around midnight. It reaches eastern quadrature on the first day of the month. Visual aids will probably be needed it in the constellation Capricornus but you will have to look for it soon after the sky darkens.
Neptune
Neptune is falling behind Uranus after their triple conjunction in 1993. Only visible with a telescope, it can be found in the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus before it sets around mid-evening.
Pluto
Pluto is currently closer to the Sun than Neptune but because it is so small and faint, a rather large telescope is always needed to see it. This smallest of the planets can be found in the constellation Ophiuchus, but is impossible to view because of its proximity to the Sun. On 30 November Pluto reaches opposition.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
The Moon occults a minor planets this month. 1 Ceres disappears behind the face of the Moon on 6 November. Observers in Mexico, Central America, the southern United States, southern Europe and North Africa will be able to see this event. Telescopes will be needed to see 1 Ceres at opposition on 28 November as it will be no brighter than seventh magnitude. Look for it in the constellation of Aquarius.
Comets
21P/Giacobini-Zinner was discovered late in the year 1900 by Giacobini in France. Missed in its 1907 return, Zinner in Germany rediscovered it in 1917. It was called Comet Zinner for a short time until it was realized that it was actually Comet Giacobini. This object is the parent comet of the Draconids meteor shower which peaks this month. As 21P/Giacobini-Zinner reaches perihelion on 21 November, this may mean a particularly fine meteor display.

A small comet, 21P/Giacobini-Zinner has a steeply inclined orbit (about 32°) and an eccentricity of 0.71. Its period is 6.6 years and its perihelion distance is just over 1 AU (or just outside the Earth's orbit. Visual aids will be needed to see this comet as it is expected to reach a maximum magnitude of only 9.

The comet's trajectory over the period October - December takes it through Ophiuchus, Serpens (Cauda), Aquila, Capricornus, and Aquarius. This chart shows the position of the comet every five days during this time period. The comet is travelling from west to east.

Meteors
There are two major meteor showers this month and one of them may well produce a spectacular display. The Leonids should reach their peak around 19 UT on 17 November. This shower can produce fine displays when its parent comet is near perihelion which was the case earlier this year. Meteor storms are expected either this year or next from this unpredictable display.

Four days later, on 21 November, the Alpha Monocerotids will be at their best. The radiants of both showers make them accessible to northern and southern observers. With a New Moon on 19 November, the skies will be very dark, providing a fine backdrop for both showers.

The Celestial Sphere

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognizes 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.

Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect.

Northern Hemisphere : 45° N

Southern Hemisphere : 30° S

For More Information...

Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages. For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.

Credits

Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.

The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

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