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

Full : 1 November
Last Quarter : 8 November
New : 15 November
First Quarter : 22 November
Full : 30 November

The Moon is at apogee on 1 November, at perigee on 15 November, and at apogee again on 30 November.

Europe and Russia will have an opportunity to see Saturn slide behind the disc of the Moon at 22 UT on 3 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
Northern hemisphere observers will get the best views of this elusive planet in the morning sky just before sunrise. Mercury can be seen in the constellations Virgo, Libra and Scorpius.
Venus
The "morning star" is hugging the horizon for southern hemisphere observers but is still easy to see for those in the north. Beginning the month near the bright star Spica in the zodiacal constellation Venus, it has nearly crossed neighbouring Libra by the end.
Mars
Mars spends the month slowly moving across the constellation Capricornus, overtaking Neptune first and then Uranus by the end of the month.
Jupiter
Jupiter begins retrograde motion on the second day of the month. It is visible for most of the night in the constellation Gemini.
Saturn
The Moon will occult Saturn for observers in Europe and Russia on 3 November. The ringed planet is up most of the night in the constellation Taurus.
Uranus
An evening sky object, Uranus can be found in the constellation Capricornus. It is at east quadrature on 13 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 27 November, 4 Vesta will be at opposition in the constellation Taurus. It should be right at the edge of naked-eye visibility in very dark skies.
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 Leonids? Despite the fact that November has two Full Moons, neither interferes with this exciting shower which should peak either on 17 November or 18 November. The minor Alpha Monocerotids shower peaks at 14 UT on 21 November and is visible from both hemispheres too.

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. Used with permission.

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Last modified on 31 October 2001
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