Introduction
Utah's temperatures certainly cooled down during October. The state did not receive as much precipitation as it had in years past. Comet A3 delighted many observers, and many images are available online with just a quick search. Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations, and I have enjoyed watching it return to our evening skies this month.
November will continue to bring cold weather and likely snow over much of Utah. Observers should not let this discourage them! Just a few minutes out under the stars can do wonders for the mind, letting the body relax from a long day at work or school. Astronomers and observers alike can still view Comet A3 during November as it returns to the outer solar system. Uranus will reach opposition this month, and the Leonid Meteor Shower will return. Astronomers are still waiting for the Blaze Star as well.
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| Mercury |
Most of the planets will be visible as soon as or shortly after sunset for the majority of the month. Beginning with the innermost planet, Mercury will hug the western horizon for the first week but observers will notice it climb higher in the sky. A thin crescent Moon will be just 3° below Mercury on the 2nd. Mercury will reach its greatest eastern elongation on the 16th, making this the best time to view the innermost planet in November.
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| Venus |
Following Mercury, it's only natural for an observer to shift their gaze to brilliant Venus. The Earth's evil twin will be easy to spot against the twilight sky and will likely be the first object an observer will notice after sunset. Venus will be joined by the Moon on the 4th. The Milky Way Band will create a spectacular background for Venus, adding to binocular and telescope views and also to astrophotography images. A dark sky site will also enhance these views. Venus will share a wide field of view with M8, the Lagoon Nebula, on the 11th and the bright globular star cluster, M22, the Great Sagittarius Cluster, on the 18th. The second planet from the Sun will shine brightly all month and remain above the horizon for three hours after sunset by the end of the month.
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| Mars |
Mars will be the only planet not visible shortly after sunset at the beginning of the month. This will be remedied by month's end, however. The Red Planet will be easy to spot high in the early morning sky, and its views will only improve as the month progresses. Mars rises close to midnight or 12:30 Utah time, depending on how much the Rocky Mountains block the eastern horizon. By the end of the month, Mars will peak above the mountains close to 10:00 PM. While Mars is a great target, M44, the Beehive Cluster, one of my favorite open star clusters, will join this planet in the sky at the end of the month. The pair will continue to share the night sky throughout the first week of December. The Moon will join Mars and M44 on the 20th.
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| Jupiter |
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| Saturn |
Jupiter will be a great target throughout November. It rises about two hours after sunset as the month begins and shortly after sunset by month's end. Jupiter's opposition is fast approaching, bringing the best time of the year to view this giant world. Several Galilean Moon transits can be viewed throughout the month, so be sure to check out the Moons of Jupiter & Saturn app for Android or JupiterMoons for Apple devices. The Great Red Spot may also be seen at specific times depending on the observers' location, which the resources mentioned above can also be helpful. An observer will need a four-inch (100 mm) telescope or larger to view the transits and the Great Red Spot. By the end of November, Jupiter will be above the horizon for nearly 13 hours, allowing the planet to complete one full rotation about its axis. This means that it could be possible for an observer to see the Great Red Spot twice during one night! Weather permitting, of course.
Saturn will continue to be a great target through the end of 2024. The very few times I've had my telescope out this year, Saturn did not disappoint me or those who were observing with me. Saturn's ring system will soon disappear from our Earthly view as the tilt of the two planets coincides just right. It will be like looking at a piece of paper edge-on. The Moon will be less than 1° from Saturn on the 10th, creating a great opportunity to view both objects in a single field of view. The Moons of Jupiter & Saturn app for Android or Saturn's Satellites web app can be used to find the locations of several of Saturn's moons. For those with Apple devices, JupiterMoons and SaturnMoons should offer similar results.
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
Uranus will remain close to M45, the Pleiades, this month. The pair can be found within 7° of each other, with the Moon passing between the pair on the 15th. Uranus will reach opposition the following night, rising while the Sun sets. A pair of binoculars will help find this planet and be handy to have to view M45 since the pair are close to each other in the sky. With M45 centered in the field of view, scan to the right (westward) of this magnificent star cluster to locate Uranus. It will appear as a blue-green disk in binoculars and a telescope.
Neptune will be trailing after Saturn during November. The best time to view this planet will come on the 11th when the Moon is very close. The pair will be so close that Utahns will be able to watch the Moon pass in front of this most distant planet. Neptune will be to the upper left of the Moon after sunset. By 6:40 PM Utah time, the Moon will occult (pass in front of) Neptune, blocking this planet from view. About 40 minutes later, Neptune will reemerge on the upper right side of the Moon. Binoculars or a telescope will be required to view this rare event. Observers should bundle up and hope for clear skies!
Blaze Star, Leonids, Comet A3
As of this writing, astronomers are still waiting for a star known as T Coronae Borealis, or the Blaze Star, to go nova. As mentioned in my September and again in my October post, the Blaze Star is actually two stars, a white dwarf and a red giant. The white dwarf, a star that has used up all of its own material, is siphoning material from its companion. When the white dwarf has gathered enough material, which increases its pressure and heat, a thermonuclear explosion known as a nova will happen. This event occurs, on average, every 80 years. Before the nova event, this binary star system, glowing dimly at magnitude 10.13, is undetectable by the unaided human eye. When the nova event does occur, the Blaze Star will brighten to about 2.0 magnitude, roughly the same brightness as Polaris. The North Star is bright enough to be seen from my light-polluted skies near Salt Lake City. The Blaze Star belongs to Corona Borealis, the constellation between Boötes and Hercules in the night sky. These constellations are currently found in the west after sunset. An observer's best bet for finding the Blaze Star is first locating Arcturus, a bright red giant star close to the western horizon, and Vega, a bright blue-white star located nearly overhead as the Sun sinks below the horizon. Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere, followed by Vega during summer and early fall, so they should be easy to find. The Blaze Star is located about halfway between these stars.
Earthlings get to experience the Leonid Meteor Shower during November. From the 6th until the 30th, the Earth passes through the debris left by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonids will peak on the 17th, which nearly coincides with the Full Moon this month. Interested observers should try to catch this shower a week early by going to a dark sky site. Typically this shower produces up to 10 meteors per hour, which isn't a much better rate than the average 7 meteors per hour on a normal night under the stars. The Leonids, as the name suggests, appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion.
Comet A3 (C/2023 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is visible after sunset. It can be found high in the western sky but will require binoculars, telescope, or imaging software to see. During the beginning of October, Comet A3 was bright enough to see with the unaided eye but has since dimmed dramatically as it continues its journey back to the outer solar system. I have yet to see this comet, but not for lack of trying! Comet A3 will reside in the Milky Way Band above Venus shining dimly at magnitude 6.34 during the first two weeks of November. It will remain in the Milky Way Band all month and should be a great target for imagers and visual astronomers alike. Even though Comet A3 will be a great location for viewing, it will continue to dim. By the end of the month, Comet A3 will be a dim 9.31 magnitude.
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Monthly Breakdown
November 01: New Moon 🌑
November 03: Moon passes within 2° of MercuryNovember 04: Moon passes within 3° of VenusNovember 09: First Quarter Moon 🌓November 10: Moon passes within 0.1° of SaturnNovember 11: Moon occults NeptuneNovember 15: Full Moon 🌕November 15: Moon passes within 4° of UranusNovember 16: Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongationNovember 16: Uranus reaches oppositionNovember 17: Leonid Meteor Shower peaksNovember 17: Moon passes within 6° of JupiterNovember 20: Moon passes within 2° of MarsNovember 22: Last Quarter Moon🌗
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images were taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.
Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.
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