The Night Sky for November 2007
A Skywatching Guide to Planets, Constellations, and More
At the end of October, stargazers were surprised by the sedate Comet 17/P Holmes unexpectedly brightening to magnitude 2 and turning into an object easily seen without a telescope or binoculars. Keep an eye on Comet Holmes and watch if it changes. Does it grow a tail? When will it fade from view?
Don't forget about the time change on November 4. The return to standard time was pushed back this year, allowing for more daylight hours in the evening. After the time change with the end of Daylight Saving Time, the onset of darkness will happen much sooner in the evening, bringing more peoples' attentions to the starry sky. One star that often causes people to stop and stare is the rapidly twinkling star Capella.
November's Night Sky in 2007
Besides getting a chance to see Comet Holmes as it glides along in the constellation Perseus, a few other targets are worth watching.
Jupiter is still bright in the southwest, although it creeps closer to the horizon where it will eventually set in the winter. Jupiter glows at a magnitude -1.9, making it the brightest point of light in the sky after sunset. On November 12, a thin crescent moon glides between Jupiter and the horizon, making for a pretty sight.
Jupiter is in the constellation Ophiuchus, and just to their left is the tea-pot shaped asterism that makes up part of Sagittarius. Looking toward Sagittarius is the same as looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
Watch Mars appear earlier each night as November draws on. By the end of the month, Mars is rising earlier in the evening in the east-northeast at magnitude -1.2. Mars gets better nightly in both brilliancy and viewing location. Read the article Mars at Its Best for 2007 for more information.
On November 26, Mars and the moon pair up with the twin stars Castor and Pollux not far above them. The moon also meets up with some bright stars this month, such as Regulus on November 3 and the Pleiades star cluster on November 23. Most of the states will be able to see the moon occult some of the stars in the cluster before dawn.
Moon Phases and Meteor Showers
New Moon occurs November 9 at 6:03 pm EST. New moon is a great time to observe deep-sky objects because the light of the moon does not interfere. On that same night, asteroid Ceres reaches opposition at magnitude 7.2 in Cetus.
Full Moon occurs on November 24 at 9:30 am EST. This bright moon happens over the holiday weekend of Thanksgiving in the United States. Many states will have open deer hunting season at this time, and the full moon will prove helpful in seeing the deer in the pre-morning countryside.
On November 17 and 18, the Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak. The meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Leo, and the best time to observe this shower is usually well after midnight until the sun comes up. Some years the Leonids put on a great show, however, this is not expected to be one of those years. But you should still see a decent display.
Venus, the Morning Star, and Other Treats on November Mornings
Venus and Saturn remain the eye-catching morning planets. Venus is clearly the brighter of the two, with a stunning magnitude of -4.3. Saturn is magnitude 0.7. Both lie in the east.
On November 5, a crescent moon nears Venus, allowing for a great photo-op.
You can also catch Mars in the morning sky, hovering high above Venus and Saturn.
Mercury makes a morning appearance in November. On November 8, the fleet-footed planet reaches greatest elongation, or its farthest separation from the sun in our sky. Start trying to find Mercury at the beginning of the month. Look in the east, below Venus while the sky is still dark. Mercury shines at magnitude -0.4, brighter than the nearby magnitude 0.9 star Spica. Mercury will still be visible for a week or more after its greatest elongation.
