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

First Quarter : 4 November
Full : 11 November
Last Quarter : 18 November
New : 25 November

The Moon is at apogee on 3 November and at perigee on 14 November.

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 resumes prograde motion on 7 November and reaches greatest elongation west on 15 November. It can be seen in the east before sunrise in the constellations Virgo and Libra. Northern hemisphere observers will get the best views of this elusive planet.
Venus
High in the west after sunset in the southern hemisphere, the "evening star" is starting to gain some altitude when viewed from the northern hemisphere. Venus is moving from the non-zodiacal constellation Ophiuchus to the constellation Sagittarius.
Mars
Mars continues to climb higher in the pre-dawn sky in the constellation Virgo.
Jupiter
Jupiter reaches opposition on 28 November and will be visible all night in the constellation Taurus.
Saturn
The ringed planet is at opposition on 19 November in the constellation Taurus and is visible all night.
Uranus
An evening sky object, Uranus can be found in the constellation Capricornus. It is at east quadrature on 9 November.
Neptune
Like its neighbour Uranus, Neptune sets before midnight in the constellation Capricornus.
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
On 21 November, 1 Ceres will be at conjunction.
Comets
There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
Meteors
There are two interesting meteor showers this month. Did you see last year's spectacular shower of Leonids? Unfortunately, this shower falls victim to the the waning Moon as it peaks at 8 UT on 17 November. The minor Alpha Monocerotids shower peaks at 8 UT on 22 November and the Moon should cause problems only two or three hours after midnight.

The Celestial Sphere

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 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...

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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Last modified on 31 October 2000
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