October was a more eventful month for getting the telescope out under the stars. I was able to meet with my niece and her telescope during the middle of October. We were able to look at Jupiter's cloud bands and the Galilean Moons, Saturn, its rings, and Titan, Mars and Valles Marineris, as well as Uranus and Neptune, which was a first for both of us. While looking at Jupiter, I witnessed one of the Galilean Moons move behind Jupiter and later reemerge on the opposite side of the planet. We also looked at the Double Cluster and Andromeda Galaxy, both of which were easily visible but offer much more detail under less light polluted skies. I was also able to view the Pleiades which were still close to the eastern horizon so were a bit hazy.
Later in the month, I was able to try using some colored filters to bring out surface detail on Mars and Jupiter, but did not have much luck. I believe this was caused by the cold ambient temperature and the warmth from my eye fogging up the eyepiece. There was also the possibility of my telescope becoming uncollimated with the drop in temperature. I'm excited to try using the filters again in the near future.
November will bring much colder nights. This will force many stargazers to stay inside, but I still encourage you to look up as often as you are able. November offers the Leonid Meteor Shower which will peak under a Moon free sky. This month will also bring the return of all of the planets to the sky even if just for a short window during the month. A stargazer may also be able to view Comet 88P/Howell, which can be found below Jupiter and Saturn during the middle of the month. This will require a telescope to see but will be worth the effort!
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| Mercury |
The innermost planet, Mercury, can be found in the morning sky throughout November. If an observer scouts for Mercury every morning during the month and makes a mental note of where it can be found in the sky, they will notice this tiny planet climb higher on the eastern horizon until the 10th, and then sink lower throughout the rest of the month. On the 10th, Mercury reaches its greatest elongation from the Sun, from our Earthly point of view. An observer may also notice one of the 20 (number 16 to be exact) brightest stars in the night sky, Spica. Spica is actually a binary star system, meaning that two stars are orbiting each other. This system lies about 250 light years from us. During the early part of November, Mercury and Spica will shine at about the same magnitude. As Mercury passes its greatest elongation, it will continue to brighten and should obtain a magnitude of -0.5 which will make it much easier to see. On the morning of the 13th, a thin crescent moon can be found just above the planet. By the end of the month, Mercury will likely be too hard to see since it will be lost in the morning glow of the rising Sun. If weather permits, see how many days of the month you can see Mercury!
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| Venus |
Venus will continue to be the "morning star" throughout November. If an observer were to watch Venus all month, they would notice that on the first morning of the month, Venus can be found high in the sky. With each passing morning, the observer would notice Venus not quite as high in the sky as it was the previous day. Venus is slowly moving closer to the Sun from our point of view. On the 12th, a slim crescent moon can be found floating above Venus. An observer may also use a pair of binoculars or telescope to see the phases of Venus. Throughout the month, it will be between 80-90% lit, meaning it is nearly "full" like a full Moon!
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| Mars |
Mars reached opposition in October and will still offer great telescopic views during the early part of November. Mars is quickly moving away from the Earth, meaning that its brightness will decrease as well as the surface detail that can be viewed through a telescope. On the 25th, a nearly Full Moon will be found close to the red planet. The magnitude of Mars is similar to that of Jupiter and when comparing the two, an observer will easily be able to see the color difference between them.
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| Jupiter |
Jupiter will remain visible throughout November but will sink below the western horizon earlier each night. If an observer with a telescope is only able to view a few objects at night before the cold forces them indoors, I recommend Jupiter as one of the targets. The observer will be able to see the four Galilean Moons and depending on the size of the telescope, they may be able to make out cloud bands and the Great Red Spot. They may also be able to witness one of the moons moving in front of or behind the giant planet. If weather permits, an observer can point their telescope towards Jupiter on the 18th and be able to easily view this giant planet as well as Saturn and a thin crescent moon by moving their telescope very little. The distance between the Earth and Jupiter is increasing due to the positions the planets are in their orbit around the Sun. This means that Jupiter will begin to dim this month and the cloud bands may be harder to see with a telescope.
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| Saturn |
Saturn will continue to follow Jupiter this month. The ringed world is another target I would highly recommend to an observer to view with their telescope before moving indoors to escape the cold. The larger the telescope, the more magnificent the rings will look. I prefer the look of Saturn through a lower power eyepiece which gives me a great field of view of the planet and the surrounding stars. On the 19th, the Moon can be found to the east of Saturn (and Jupiter) which should make it easy to view the trio in one night before retreating to the warmth of your house.
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars. Uranus, the closest to the Sun of these two ice giants, reached opposition on the 31st of October. This means that it will be rising in the east shortly after the Sun has set in the west. Using a telescope should reveal the blue-green color of this planet. However, with my limited experience viewing this planet, I thought the color was comparable to that of Saturn, a yellowish color. This could have been because of viewing this planet while it was close to the horizon, through thin clouds, and through an eyepiece that would fog up when placing my eye close to it.
Neptune will be found in the constellation of Aquarius all month. When using a pair of binoculars or a telescope, an observer should notice the bluish color of this world. It will also appear as a round disk shape instead of the pin point shape of a star. When I recently viewed Neptune, I could easily see the bluish color, although it was still quite blurry due to the thin clouds and my warm eye fogging up the lens of the cold eyepiece.
As this was my first time out in weather this cold with the telescope, I have learned some valuable tricks that I will try next time I'm out in the cold weather to prevent the fogging up of the eyepieces. Since colder air is less turbulent, it is the best time for observing with a telescope or binoculars. I hope to do some observing this winter as long as the weather cooperates!
Meteor Shower
November brings the return of the Leonid Meteor Shower. This shower will peak on the morning of the 17th and a Moon-free sky should allow observers to see as many meteors as the weather allows! Although this shower peaks on a Tuesday, an observer should still be able to catch this meteor shower on the weekend before or after this date. The number of meteors on the peak date is approximately 15 per hour. While this is a small number compared to the Geminid and Perseid showers, the Leonids produce meteors that have a higher velocity so they tend to leave a longer streak across the sky. The best time to view is when the constellation of Leo the Lion is high in the sky. This constellation creeps above the mountains around 3 in the morning Utah time, with meteors being visible until the morning glow of the Sun washes them out.
Meteor showers are caused by the Earth flying through the debris (ice, rock, and dust) left behind by a comet as it moves inwards towards the Sun. Think of it like a car driving through a snowstorm or cloud of dust from a dirt road. The snowflakes or dust particles that hit the windshield are like the small particles that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, creating a meteor shower.
Spot Me....🕵️
I've had you try to spot quite a few different objects in the night sky, most of which require a telescope. During 2020, we have been able to see a few comets, most notable was NEOWISE. I have included pictures of NEOWISE in my August Monthly Sky Report from this year if you would like to look at them again. This month, Comet Howell can be seen passing below Jupiter and Saturn in our night sky. These planets, as well as dwarf planet Pluto, can be found in the southern sky after sunset, with Jupiter being one of the first points of light to shine through the evening glow of the Sun. Comet Howell will appear to move eastward throughout the month as opposed to the planets which move westward. At the beginning of the month, Howell can be found near the southern Milky Way band, to the right of the the giant planets. At this position, it may be hard to spot the comet because of the brightness of the Sun. As the month progresses, it will become easier to see as it moves away from our glaring star. On the night of the 15th, Howell can be found approximately 4° below Jupiter and Saturn. On the 18th, the Moon will be in the vicinity and will wash out the dim glow of comet Howell. By the 20th, Howell will be found further east than Saturn as it moves from the constellation of Sagittarius to the stars belonging to Capricornus. Unfortunately, comet Howell shines at an approximate magnitude of 8.5, which means you will need a large pair of binoculars or a telescope to see it. If using a telescope near the 15th, use your lowest power (large mm) eyepiece to find Jupiter and aim your telescope slightly below and scan the sky for this visitor. There are a few star clusters in this region of the sky. M55 can be found below Jupiter and Saturn and shines more brightly than Howell. If you can see this star cluster on the 15th, you have moved your telescope to far down. To the east (left) of Saturn, you may see M75 which has a similar magnitude to Howell.
There is also a penumbral lunar eclipse that we should be able to see in North America. This type of eclipse happens when the Moon passes through part of the shadow of the Earth, causing part of the Moon to go dark. This will occur on November 30th with the start time around 12:30 AM Utah time. The peak will occur at approximately 2:45 AM and the Moon will move out of the Earth's shadow at about 5 in the morning. While this event won't be as spectacular as a total lunar eclipse, it will still be worth seeing for those willing to brave the cold!
As always, leave a comment to let me and others know what you see!
Monthly Breakdown
November 10: Mercury at greatest western elongation
November 12: Moon passes within 3° of Venus
November 13: Moon passes within 2° of Mercury
November 15: New Moon 🌑
November 15: Venus and Spica within 4°
November 17: Leonid Meteor Shower peaks
November 19: Moon passes within 3° of Jupiter and Saturn
November 21: First Quarter Moon 🌓
November 23: Moon passes within 5° of Neptune
November 25: Moon passes within 5° of Mars
November 27: Moon passes within 3° of Uranus
November 30: Full Moon 🌕
November 30: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, peak at 2:45 AM Utah time
Think About This....💡
As a person with an interest in astronomy, you have likely heard about the asteroid that will pass close to Earth on November 2nd. Many news agencies and others have said that the asteroid will impact Earth. While this is possible, there is an extremely small chance of this happening, less than 1 percent! This asteroid is estimated to be about the size of a refrigerator and would likely burn up if it did enter the atmosphere of Earth. It is estimated that this asteroid will come within 260,000 miles of Earth, which is greater than the Earth-Moon distance. You can keep your eye on the known asteroids at https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/. For a table of Near Earth Objects (NEO's), click here!
With that out of the way, please enjoy these pictures taken during October from a light polluted sky! They are all edited to try to combat the effects of light pollution on the night sky.
Milky Way from bottom right to top center
Jupiter (bright center star) and Saturn (upper left of Jupiter)
Cassiopeia (Center), Andromeda (to the right of Cassiopeia), Pleiades (Lower right)
Big Dipper through the power lines and Polaris (right of top center)
Jupiter and Saturn taken with my phone
Stay tuned for more exciting news and events!
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos taken by Jeff Greenland.