Monthly Night Sky Report: November 2018

November nights will likely be too cold for all but the most determined star gazers.  However, with the way the end of October has been going in Utah, you might still be able to enjoy a few hours under the stars after sunset.  Even if you take the garbage out, take a pet out to do its business, or even getting the mail before going to bed for the night, take a look at the stars.  For me, it's a therapeutic experience, which is one more reason why I enjoy the night sky.

Mercury

Mercury will continue to be a hard target this month due to it lying so close to the Sun from our vantage point.  Towards the end of the month, Mercury will pass between the Earth and the Sun in its orbit and will be lost to view for earthbound observers.  While it is visible, it will shine around -0.2 magnitude and will be found close to the easier-to-spot, Jupiter which shines around magnitude -1.7.

Venus

Venus will return to our sky on the first morning of the month.  It will be easy to spot in predawn sky where it will shine brilliantly at magnitude -4.2.  Venus will rise about 30 minutes before the Sun on this morning, and will continue to rise earlier with each passing day.  Its brightness will also increase throughout the month, shining at -4.9 magnitude by month's end.  On November 6th, Venus will be joined by a crescent Moon, so you early risers should take a moment to enjoy the view.

Mars

Mars will dominate the early night sky during November.  It can easily be seen in the southern sky after sunset with its red glow.  Mars shines at magnitude -0.6 during the first part of November, but will dim slightly to magnitude -0.1 by the end of the month.  Mars will also "shrink" in size for earthly observers, which will be more noticeable to those using a telescope.  You may still see some surface details if you have a night of excellent viewing (no clouds and minimal atmospheric disturbance).  Mars will dip below the horizon by 1 in the morning during the beginning of the month, but will set sooner with each passing night.

Jupiter

Like Mercury, Jupiter will be best viewed from an unobstructed western horizon after sunset.  This giant planet will slip below the horizon just 30 minutes after the Sun during the first evening of the month and will be lost from view by the second week.  Be sure to use binoculars or a telescope to enhance your views of Jupiter before it disappears for the rest of the month.

Saturn

Around the same time that Jupiter falls below the western horizon, Saturn will be found about 30° high in the southwestern sky after sunset.  It will still be a decent target during early November for telescope and binocular users alike.  Saturn will lie close to the nebulae, M8 and M20, which will be a treat for those observing with a telescope.  This will occur during the early part of November, but towards the middle of the month, Saturn will have moved to a different part of the sky which will place it near a few star clusters.  If you can get to a dark sky area, these clusters can be seen with binoculars, but of course will look better through a telescope.  Saturn will continue to edge its way closer to the Sun from our perspective, so if you are interested, catch Saturn while you can.

Uranus

Neptune

The outer ice giants will require a telescope for the best possible views from Earth.  Neptune will be visible about 40° high above the southeastern horizon once the sunlight leaves the area.  If you are using a telescope, it will appear as a disk instead of a pinpoint star and will have a distinctive blue-gray color.  Uranus will rise about 3 hours after Neptune and can be found in the constellation of Aries the Ram.  This planet will appear as a blue-green disk through a telescope and should be easy to differentiate from the surrounding stars.  If you follow Uranus throughout the night until it sets in the west, you can turn your attention to the eastern horizon to watch the rising of Venus.

Meteor Shower

November offers viewers the Leonid meteor shower.  This shower will peak on the night/morning of November 17/18.  A waxing gibbous Moon will sink below the horizon at around 2 in the morning which will leave the sky dark enough for those interested in viewing this shower.  The hosting constellation this month is Leo the Lion which can be found about 60° high in the southeast during peak time.  In past years, the average number of meteors during the peak dates ranged from 15 to 20 meteors per hour.

Monthly Breakdown

November 05:  Moon and Venus pass within 10°
November 07:  New Moon 🌑
November 09:  Mercury passes within 2° of Antares
November 09:  Moon and Mercury pass within 7°
November 11:  Moon and Saturn pass within 1.5°
November 15:  First Quarter Moon 🌓
November 15:  Moon and Mars pass within 1°
November 17:  Moon and Neptune pass within 3°
November 17:  Leonid Meteor Shower peaks
November 20:  Moon and Uranus pass within 5°
November 23:  Full Moon 🌕
November 29:  Last Quarter Moon 🌗

Think About This....💡

In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I would share some spooky sounds from space, or at least outside of our planet Earth.  While it is true that there is no sound in space (because molecules aren't as densely packed as they are on Earth allowing the sound waves to travel through), NASA has been able to convert and slow down different waves (electromagnetic, radiation, etc.) so that humans can experience outer space using more than just their sight.  You can listen to some of these sounds on SoundCloud by clicking HERE.

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos taken by Jeff Greenland.