The Skywatcher's Diary for November 2006 has been prepared by Robert C. Victor, formerly Staff Astronomer (now retired). Credit to the author and to Abrams Planetarium, Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University, and mention of our Sky Calendar, would be appreciated.
A sample issue of the Sky Calendar is available over the Internet. It
can be viewed via the World-Wide Web at
http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/SkyCalendar/Index.html
(a back issue for May 2006, with the star chart May Evening Skies, is now on line.)
If you would like a printed sample of the November issue, please send a long, self-addressed stamped envelope to:
November Sky Calendar
Abrams Planetarium
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Each month, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University makes the Skywatcher's Diary available over the Internet. It can be accessed at http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/SkyWatchersDiary/Diary.html
Current and back-issues of the Skywatcher's Diary are available in our
archives
at
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ftp://www.pa.msu.edu/pub/swd/
Following a summary of this month's and future highlights is a day-by-day guide to celestial happenings during November 2006. For drawings of many of these events, and an evening sky map, request a free sample copy of the Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Sample Sky Calendar, Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. Or you can subscribe for $11 per year. We appreciate your subscriptions!
The Full Moon of Nov. 5 rises some 30° north of east shortly before sunset from northern U.S. On the next evening, the Moon rises after sunset, in twilight. Moon rises farther north nightly through November 8. In this version of the Skywatcher's Diary, times of moonrise and other events are occasionally given for East Lansing, Michigan. Observers can get rising, transit (southing), and setting times of the Sun and Moon for their own locations conveniently from the Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory, at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/
Morning Moonwatch: If you get up early, you can enjoy tracking the waning Moon Nov. 5-19 in a dark predawn sky. Use the Skywatcher's Diary and our illustrated Sky Calendar to help you follow the Moon's progress past the Pleiades, Aldebaran, Castor and Pollux, Saturn, Regulus, Spica, and Mercury. And each clear morning Nov. 6-17, as the first activity of the school day, teachers can guide students to find Moon and record its position in daytime sky (direction and altitude), angular distance from Sun, and fraction illuminated. Each student, standing in sunlight, can hold a ball at arm's length to cover the Moon, and discover that its phase matches the Moon's! (For best results, the ball should be light in color and not very smooth.) Track the Moon daily, from nearly full low in WNW on Monday Nov. 6, to a thin crescent in SE on Friday Nov. 17.
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, Mercury will transit the Sun's disk for nearly five hours, beginning at 2:12 p.m. EST (11:12 a.m. PST). At least some of the event will be visible from all of North America and Hawaii. For more on the transit including some very important information on eye safety, visit http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/transit06.html and http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEhelp/safety2.html
Beginning about ten days after the transit, Mercury presents its best appearance of this year, at dawn in late November and early December.
Coming events: On December 10, a compact trio of planets, the tightest involving naked-eye planets until the year 2053, all fits within a one-degree field! Venus emerges as an evening "star" in December. Mars and Jupiter overtake Antares three weeks apart in the morning sky in late December and early January. Venus and Saturn move from opposite horizons in the evening sky in late January 2007 into a close pairing at midyear. There'll be two total lunar eclipses in 2007. (From Michigan, the Moon will rise in total eclipse at dusk on March 3, and set in total eclipse at dawn on August 28.) Future issues of the Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar will include many diagrams to help you follow the action.
Only two of the five naked-eye planets are easy to see in November: Saturn is high in sky an hour before sunrise, drifting from SE through S and SSW as month progresses. Note the star Regulus, heart of Leo, 6 to 5° east (lower left) of Saturn. After crossing directly in front of the Sun on November 8 (more about that transit then), Mercury will appear very low in ESE in morning twilight in the latter half of this month, 16 to 26° lower left of the star Spica.
Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter now set in bright twilight not long after sunset, while Mars rises in morning twilight, shortly before sunup. The only naked-eye planet visible in a dark sky now is Saturn, rising in ENE in middle of night and climbing high in SE by an hour before sunrise.
An hour before sunrise these mornings, the bright star low between E and ENE is Arcturus. Also look for Spica very low in ESE. You can also find these two bright stars by first locating the Big Dipper in NE, and then extending the curve of its handle: "Follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica." Those stars climb higher each morning, because of the Earth's revolution around the Sun. After the Moon has circled halfway around Earth in two weeks to appear near Spica on Nov. 17 and 18, Mercury will emerge to the lower left of Spica.
The Moon, approaching Full, is well up in the east at nightfall. The 2nd-mag. star then 8° to Moon's upper left is Hamal, or Alpha in Aries, the Ram.
If you look an hour before sunrise on Sunday, you'll find the Full Moon low in WNW with Hamal 7° to its right. In the two weeks Nov. 5-19, look each morning and follow the Moon halfway around the zodiac, from Aries through Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, into Libra.
Even though the Moon has passed Full, it is far enough north to still rise a few minutes before sunset (at least from places north of latitude 34° N). Using binoculars at nightfall, look for the Pleiades star cluster low in ENE, about 10° to Moon's lower left. As the night progresses the Moon creeps ever closer to the Pleiades until dawn.
From northern U.S., the Moon rises some 36° north of east within half an hour after sunset. About 2½ hours after sunset, look for the Pleiades star cluster 5° to the Moon's upper right, and Aldebaran, the "Follower" of the Pleiades and eye of Taurus, the Bull, 10-11° to Moon's lower right. By 1½ hours before sunrise on Tuesday, the Moon is in the west, with the Pleiades 10° lower right and Aldebaran 10° lower left.
From northern U.S., the Moon rises nearly 40° N of E within 1 hour 20 minutes after sunset. About 2½ hours after sunset, look for the bright star Capella, the "Mother Goat", in the NE 18° to the Moon's upper left, and Aldebaran, eye of the Bull, 14° to the Moon's right. Using binoculars, look closely lower left of the Moon's edge for the 1.7-mag. star Beta Tauri or Elnath, the "Butting One", marking the tip of the Bull's northern horn. Don't miss Wednesday's transit of Mercury across the disk of the Sun; details tomorrow.
A transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun is visible today beginning at 2:12 p.m. EST (11:12 a.m. PST). In the middle of the nearly 5-hour event, at 4:41 p.m. EST (1:41 PST), the tiny disk of Mercury, only about 10 arcseconds (1/360 of a degree) across, or just 1/194 or barely over half of one percent of the Sun's apparent diameter, is located halfway from the Sun's center toward its SSW limb. For most of North America, the transit is still in progress at sunset, but from the far West, the entire transit is visible, from 11:12 a.m. until it ends at 4:09 p.m. PST. CAUTION: Do not observe the Sun with optical equipment without a proper filter securely installed over the front end of the telescope. After today's event, the next transit of Mercury will occur on May 9, 2016, and the next transit of Venus will be on June 5, 2012. For more on the transit including some very important information on eye safety, visit http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/transit06.html and http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEhelp/safety2.html
From East Lansing, MI (lat. 42.7° N), this month's northernmost moonrise occurs about 40° north of east at 7:39 p.m. EST, about 2¼ hours after sunset. The Moon rises sooner after sunset and even farther north from higher latitudes, and later after sunset and farther south from lower latitudes. The Moon passes only 15° south of overhead in E. Lansing at 3:58 a.m. EST, early Thursday morning, and even higher from places farther south. At dawn, the Moon is still well up in WSW, 13 to 15° to the lower right of the Gemini Twins. Finally, the Moon sets 39° north of west at 12:12 p.m., over 16½ hours after it rose.
From northern U.S. at the latitude of East Lansing, the Moon rises 38° north of east within 3½ hours after sunset. In another 1½ hours, look for the stars Pollux and Castor, the Gemini Twins, within 6° to the Moon's left. By an hour before sunrise on Friday, the Moon is high in SW, with the Twins 3° above and 6° to its upper right.
From northern U.S. (latitude of East Lansing), the Moon rises 34° north of east some 4½ hours after sunset, some 8° below Pollux, the lower and brighter of the Gemini Twins. By an hour before sunrise on Saturday, the Moon is high in SSW, with the Twins 12 to 16° to its right.
From the latitude of East Lansing, the Moon rises 28° north of east some 4½ hours after sunset. In another two hours, look for bright Saturn and fainter Regulus 10 and 15° to Moon's lower left. About 1¼ hours before sunrise on Sunday, Moon is high in SSE to S, with Saturn and Regulus 8 and 13° to its lower left.
Minor planet (asteroid) number 7, Iris, now has its closest approach to Earth until after mid-century. On Nov. 14, as Earth passes between that asteroid and the Sun, it is at opposition while glowing at mag. 6.8. That's bright enough to spot with the help of binoculars, if you have a detailed star chart and know exactly where to look, 8° west of the Pleiades.
About 1¼ hours before sunrise on Monday, the Moon, just past Last Quarter phase and slightly less than half full, is high in SE to SSE. Note the star Regulus very closely to the Moon's south (lower right), and brighter Saturn within 5° to Moon's upper right.
An hour before sunrise on Tuesday, a fat crescent Moon is high in SE, with Regulus 11° to its upper right, and brighter Saturn 5° upper right of Regulus.
An hour before sunrise on Wednesday, look for the bright golden yellow star Arcturus in east, and bluish Spica in ESE about 30° lower left of the waning crescent Moon. On Wednesday through next Monday mornings, Nov. 15-20, the planet Mercury will brighten rapidly while staying 16° lower left of Spica as both climb nearly a degree higher each morning at the same stage of twilight. On which morning will you first spot Mercury?
An hour before sunrise on Thursday, the waning crescent Moon is in SE, with Spica 19° to its lower left, and Mercury rising 16° lower left of Spica.
An hour before sunrise on Friday, a beautiful crescent Moon with earthshine illuminating its dark side is in ESE to SE, with Spica, the spike of grain in Virgo's hand, just 7° to Moon's lower left. Mercury, still 16° lower left of Spica, is higher and brighter each morning.
On Saturday an hour before sunrise, the old crescent Moon is low in ESE to SE, with Spica 5° upper right, and Mercury 11° lower left. The brightest objects visible then, in order of brilliance, are the Moon, Sirius in SW, Arcturus in E, Capella in WNW to NW, Rigel low in WSW, Procyon in SW above Sirius, Saturn high in S, and Mercury. In a few days, Mercury will rank next in brilliance, after Sirius.
For a short time around 11:45 p.m. EST tonight, a detectable peak in the Leonid meteor shower is expected as Earth encounters a trail of dust released by Comet Tempel-Tuttle in 1932. The radiant of the shower is low above the ENE horizon from northeastern U.S., from Michigan to eastern North Carolina eastward, so don't expect many meteors. Any seen from places where the radiant is very low will be streaking through Earth's upper atmosphere in paths almost parallel to the surface. From farther west in the U.S., the meteor radiant in the Sickle of Leo won't have risen yet, so the peak will be missed. The best view (~100 meteors per hour?) may be in western Europe and west Africa around 4:45 GMT, when the radiant is high in a dark predawn sky.
On Sunday morning, a very thin old crescent Moon rises just over an hour before sunrise. The best way to find it might be to first locate Spica in ESE to SE an hour before sunrise. Use the Big Dipper's handle: "Follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica." Next, look for bright Mercury very low in ESE 16° lower left of Spica. Finally, using binoculars, look for the last, thin old Moon rising within 7° lower right of Mercury.
On Tuesday the Pleiades star cluster will be at opposition. This occurs each year about the same date, when Sun-Earth-Pleiades lie in a nearly straight line in space. The star cluster now lies nearly 180° from the Sun in our sky and is visible all night. You can use the Pleiades to tell the time of night! The cluster is low in ENE as darkness falls, moving to just south of overhead in the middle of the night, and low in WNE as dawn begins to brighten.
New Moon occurs today at 5:18 p.m. EST. Using binoculars in tonight's moonless sky, find 5.8-magnitude Uranus soon after nightfall. When first-magnitude Fomalhaut (Mouth of the Southern Fish) passes due south, find 3.3-mag. Delta in Aquarius 14° above Fomalhaut, and 3.8-mag. Lambda Aquarii 8° above Delta. Ending retrograde, Uranus lingers nearly 1.0 degree southwest (lower right) of Lambda for several days.
Jupiter is now in conjunction with the Sun; it will emerge to the lower left of Mercury and Mars in early December. Using binoculars about 45 minutes before sunrise, you can start looking for faint Mars rising in ESE in bright twilight, nearly 10° lower left of Mercury on Nov. 22-24. At month's end, Mars will be 7° lower left of Mercury, but still faint and hard to see in bright twilight.
Tonight from northern U.S., the 2-day-old Moon sets in the southwest less than an hour after sunset. So the best time to look may be about 25 minutes after sunset, when the Moon will be just a few degrees up in SW. Tonight and tomorrow evenings are this month's southernmost moonsets.
The 3-day-old Moon sets about an hour later than last night and nearly two hours after sunset, so it's much easier to see than last night. Some 45 minutes after sunset from the latitude of East Lansing, the Moon is just 8° above the SW horizon. The Moon is within the asterism of the Teapot of Sagittarius, but those stars can't be seen until the sky darkens. The brightest star in the handle of the Teapot, 2nd-mag. Nunki or Sigma Sagittarii, is about 6° upper left of the Moon an hour after sunset.
About 45 minutes after sunset, the 4-day-old crescent Moon is easy to see in SSW. As the sky darkens, look for 2nd-mag. star Sigma Sagittarii, brightest star in the handle of the Teapot, about 8° to the Moon's lower right.
An hour before sunrise on Saturday, look for bright Mercury, very low in ESE, 20° east (or lower left) of Spica. That morning, Mercury reaches its "greatest elongation" (maximum angular distance from the Sun), 20° W of the Sun. For northern hemisphere skywatchers, this is the peak of Mercury's best appearance of this year. While you're outdoors enjoying Mercury, look very high in S to see bright Saturn and fainter Regulus, now just 5° apart. They'll be just slightly closer early next month, when Saturn begins retrograde.
Find Mercury very low in ESE an hour before sunrise. In about 15 minutes, using binoculars, try for very faint Mars rising about 9° lower left of Mercury. On each successive morning, Mercury is a little lower and Mars a little higher, so they will move closer together.
By an hour before sunrise on Monday, locate bright Mercury very low in ESE. Using binoculars, try for 3rd-mag. Alpha in Libra the Scales, 2° to the south (lower right) of Mercury.
As you face the setting Sun this evening, the Moon is nearly 90° or a quarter-circle to your left, and has nearly reached First Quarter phase. Note the illuminated portion makes the Moon appear nearly half full. At nightfall, note first-magnitude Fomalhaut 19° to Moon's lower left, and 4th-mag. Lambda Aquarii 10° to Moon's upper left. Binoculars show 6th-mag. Uranus within one degree lower right of Lambda.
Using binoculars 45 minutes before sunrise on Tuesday, try for faint Mars rising in ESE in twilight, 8° lower left of Mercury.
An hour after sunset, in order of brilliance, find Vega high in W to WNW, Capella low in NE, and Altair high in SW to WSW.
About 45 minutes before sunrise on Thursday, using binoculars, look for faint Mars rising 7° below and a little left of Mercury. Ten days later, on Sunday, Dec. 10, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter will join in a very compact trio, fitting within a field just one degree across! More in next month's Skywatcher's Diary.
Venus is now 8½° E (upper left) of the setting Sun. Some ten minutes after the Sun goes below your horizon, use binoculars to scan for Venus just above the horizon a few degrees to the left of the sunset point. Venus will become a very prominent evening "star" in spring 2007.
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Please send any comments, suggestions, or questions to Shane Horvatin: horvati3@msu.edu |