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 Scorpio to the non-zodiacal constellation Ophiuchus.

The phases of the Moon are

New : 8 November
First Quarter : 16 November
Full : 23 November
Last Quarter : 29 November

The Moon is at apogee on 11 November and at perigee on 23 November.

The Moon occults two planets and one first-magnitude star in November. Like the previous seven months, Neptune and Uranus are occulted a day apart. Neptune goes first on 14 November at 15 UT. This is during the night over the Indian Ocean. The occultation of Uranus the following day at 13 UT follows a similar pattern, being visible at night in Indonesia. Aldebaran disappears behind the Moon on 23 November but only observers at the North Pole have a chance to see it.

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.
Mercury
Mercury can't make up its mind over which way it wants to go this month. On 5 November it begins to retrograde across the sky but twenty days later it resumes prograde motion. The big event happens on 15 November when Mercury transits the Sun. This closest planet to the Sun will be visible at sunset for southern hemisphere observers during the first half of the month but northerners will have to get up before sunrise to catch Mercury in the east during the last half of November. Mercury can be found in the constellations of Scorpio and Libra.
Venus
Now the "morning star," Venus soars high in the morning sky for northern observers but is considerably lower in the east for early-risers in the southern hemisphere. Look for it in the constellations of Leo and Virgo.
Mars
Mars reaches perihelion on 25 November and four days later can be found near Neptune in the sky. The red planet sets mid-evening in the constellations of Sagittarius and Capricornus.
Jupiter
The largest of the planets reached opposition last month so it is up almost all night in the constellation of Pisces.
Saturn
Saturn rises just after Jupiter in the constellation of Aries. The ringed planet reaches opposition on 6 November.
Uranus
Uranus sets in the constellation Capricornus soon after Mars disappears below the horizon. On 5 November, Uranus is at east quadrature and ten days later it is occulted by the Moon.
Neptune
Neptune is falling behind Uranus after their triple conjunction in 1993, but they are still found close together in the sky. Like Uranus, Neptune also is occulted by the Moon, this time on 14 November. It is near Mars in the constellation of Capricornus on 29 November.
Pluto
Pluto sets early in the evening in the constellation Ophiuchus and may be too close to the Sun to seen at this time.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
Comets
There are no periodic naked-eye comets visible this month, but the fragmented comet Machholz 2-A reaches perihelion next month. You will need a telescope to see it as it moves from Serpens Cauda to Scutum to Aquila to Aquarius and Capricornus.
Meteors
There are three interesting meteor showers this month. The Taurids peak on 5 November. The nearly new Moon that day means that there will be no lunar interference. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the Alpha Monocerotids on 22 November. The nearly full Moon may wash out this shower entirely. However, this November, like last, belongs to the Leonids. A number of dazzling fireballs were seen last year. Will a meteor storm occur this year? The Leonids should peak around 17 November. The Moon will be setting around midnight so it should cause minimal problems.

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. (Note: These times are approximate.)

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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