SkyEye

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events.

November 2007

All times and dates are given in Universal Time (UT).
Nightly darkness estimates are calculated for 45° N and 30° S.
Like total solar eclipses, lunar occultation events can be seen only from limited regions on Earth (and sometimes not at all if the occultation takes place during daylight hours). However, the Moon will appear close in the sky to its "target" for some hours either side of the actual occultation, regardless of where you are.

Date		Event
1	Thu	Last Quarter Moon
2	Fri
3	Sat	Moon occults first-magnitude star Regulus: visible from southwestern and southcentral United States, and Mexico.
4	Sun
5	Mon
6	Tue
7	Wed
8	Thu	Mercury at greatest elongation west
9	Fri	1 Ceres at opposition
9	Fri	New Moon at apogee
10	Sat
11	Sun	Moon occults first-magnitude star Antares: visible from southern South America.
12	Mon	Neptune at east quadrature
13	Tue
14	Wed
15	Thu
16	Fri
17	Sat	First Quarter Moon occults Neptune: visible from southeastern Australia and New Zealand.
18	Sun	The Moon sets just as the radiant of the Leonid meteor shower rises so skies will be dark for this event.
19	Mon	Comet 17P/Holmes passes very near alpha Persei: it may be possible to view the star through the ever-expanding coma of the comet.
20	Tue
21	Wed
22	Thu	Moonlight seriously interferes with viewing the Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower.
23	Fri
24	Sat	Full Moon at perigee: expect unusually high tides.
25	Sun
26	Mon
27	Tue
28	Wed
29	Thu
30	Fri	Saturn at west quadrature
30	Fri	Moon occults first-magnitude star Regulus: visible from southeastern Asia, southern China and Indonesia.

The Solar System

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. Dwarf planets and small solar-system bodies like comets are not so constrained, often moving far above or below the ecliptic.

Sun: Libra -> Scorpius -> Ophiuchus
Although Ophiuchus is not a member of the zodiac, the ecliptic passes through it.
Comet 17P/Holmes: Perseus
Normally invisible to the naked eye, Comet 17P/Holmes unexpectedly became many magnitudes brighter on 24 October, reaching third magnitude. Discovered by London observer Edwin Holmes on 6 November 1892, the comet has a period of approximately 7 years and spends its time between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, last reaching perihelion in May this year. To find the comet, look for an "extra star" passing near alpha Persei.
Comet C/2007 F1 LONEOS: Libra -> Scorpius -> Ara
Discovered on 19 March 2007 as part of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS), this hyperbolic comet reached perihelion late last month and is now heading out of the solar system. Northern hemisphere observers watched the comet approach the Sun and now comet chasers in southern latitudes can watch this object fade from view. Look for it low in the west or southwest as evening twilight ends. As November progresses it climbs higher above the horizon but gets fainter as it recedes from the Sun so look for it early in the month.
Mercury: Virgo -> Libra
Now a morning sky object, Mercury reaches greatest elongation west on 8 November at which time it heads back towards the eastern horizon. It is higher and thus easier to see in the northern hemisphere.
Venus: Leo -> Virgo
Although declining slightly in altitude when seen from northern latitudes, the "morning star" is still best seen from there. It is rising slightly as viewed from the southern hemisphere.
1 Ceres: Cetus
The only dwarf planet in the main asteroid belt reaches opposition on 9 November but at seventh magnitude, binoculars or a small telescope is necessary to observe it.
Mars: Gemini
The red planet is getting bigger and brighter and now rises early in the evening.
Jupiter: Ophiuchus
The "evening star" sets not long after the Sun.
Saturn: Leo
At west quadrature on the last day of the month, this is an excellent time to observe Saturn through a telescope as the three-dimensional effect of shadows upon the rings, planetary disc and satellites is at its most pronounced. The ringed planet rises just after midnight.
Uranus: Aquarius
This mysterious world sets just after midnight.
Neptune: Capricornus
A small telescope is necessary to view the most distant planet in the solar system. At east quadrature on 12 November, it is occulted by the First Quarter Moon five days later.

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 summer (daylight savings) time is in effect.

Local Time	Northern Hemisphere	Southern Hemisphere
1730 hours (1830 hours summer time)	45° N	30° S
1930 hours (2030 hours summer time)	45° N	30° S
2130 hours (2230 hours summer time)	45° N	30° S
2330 hours (0030 hours summer time)	45° N	30° S
0130 hours (0230 hours summer time)	45° N	30° S
0330 hours (0430 hours summer time)	45° N	30° S
0530 hours (0630 hours summer time)	45° N	30° S

For More Information...

Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
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 your favourite amateur astronomy magazine 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 Hoag's Object in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). Discovered in 1950 by astronomer Art Hoag, this unusual ring galaxy is slightly larger than our own Milky Way. The blue ring is dominated by young, massive stars whilst the nucleus is comprised largely of older, yellower stars. Located 600 million light years away in the constellation of Serpens, Hoag's Object was photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope on 9 July 2001.