Astronomical Potpourri for November

Let's hope the skies above southern New England are predominately clear for the month of November. There is a close pairing (called a conjunction) of two major planets, and the Moon will also pass near planets throughout the month, adding much beauty to these sky scenes. And we can't forget two meteor showers that will offer excitement to the celestial show above our heads.

In recent weeks I'm sure you've noticed a bright star-like object in the west after sunset. At first you may have thought it was a plane making an approach to one of the local airports, however it just never seemed to get any closer. That's because it was our nearest planetary neighbor Venus.

Venus will be rising higher and higher above the southwestern horizon as the days pass, so if you haven't glimpsed it yet you soon will. In fact, on November 1st Venus will be joined by a thin crescent Moon. It will be a beautiful sight. Each night the Moon will move further away from Venus. But try to remember to pay attention to Venus as the month progresses. I'll tell you why a little later.

After you've glimpsed Venus turn a little to your left and scan the sky. You'll notice another bright object. That's the giant planet Jupiter. The Moon is near it on November 3rd if you have difficulty trying to locate it at any other time. Each night Jupiter will be closer to the southwestern horizon, setting up for a splendid celestial rendezvous.

Every year the Earth plows through the remnants of Comet 2P/Encke. Under good sky conditions with no moonlight present one can expect to observe five to ten slow but bright yellow meteors per hour at peak on November 5th (smaller numbers of shooting stars can be seen from November 6-12).

However, this year some astronomers are predicting the Earth may encounter an enhanced swarm of particles, including more abundant fireballs that frequently fragment into multiple meteors! Time will tell. The almost First Quarter Moon will set just before 11:00 pm, so it would be best to begin your observing session after that time. Begin earlier and you'll need to block the Moon from view. The Taurids radiate out of the sky in the constellation Taurus the Bull, not too far from the Pleiades star cluster.

The second meteor shower of the month is the famous Leonids, which peak this year during the pre-dawn hours of the 17th. While they may be back to their normal peak rate of from 10 to 15 meteors per hour, a bright gibbous Moon will wash out all but the brightest of these bright and fast (44 miles per second) shooting stars. Most of the Leonids appear to be green or blue in color as they disintegrate in our upper atmosphere. They are noted for producing fireballs as well, and about half of them leave trains of dust which persist for minutes.

Remember I asked you to keep an eye on Jupiter and Venus as the month progressed. If you do so you can't help but notice that the two planets are approaching each other in the sky. On November 30th they will be just two degrees apart, a separation of four Full Moon diameters. Look towards the southwest sky about 45 minutes to an hour after sunset and you'll see this beautiful sight. As it gets darker you'll also notice a thin crescent below and to the right of this planetary conjunction. The next evening the Moon will be above and to the left of Venus and Jupiter.

This incredible sky scene will occur fairly low in the sky, so you'll need a good southwestern horizon to see it at best advantage.

Enjoy the beauty of the celestial show performed nightly (and daily) above our heads.

And don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Sunday morning, November 2nd at 2:00 am, as we return to Eastern Standard Time (EST). Otherwise you'll be one hour early until you realize you didn't remember to do it!

Keep your eyes to the skies.