WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Astronomical Events for November
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Evening Planets:
Jupiter is up in the South as Evening darkness falls. There are no bright stars around Jupiter to compete with his brilliance. The planet sets before Midnight.
Mars now rises before Midnight which makes him an evening planet. Each evening the planet rises a bit earlier in the East. The planet's "pumpkin color" will become more prominent as he brightens up during the month.
Morning Planets:
Saturn is up in the ESE before Dawn breaks. The planet brightens up a tad during the month due to its rings stating to very slowly tilt away from edge wise. A telescope is needed to see the nearly edgewise rings.
Venus rises in the SE well after Dawn breaks. Each morning Venus sinks lower and lower towards the horizon. By the end of the month Venus will become difficult to see in the bright morning twilight. This is the start of one of the worst apparitions of Venus. For the next 5 months Venus will be poorly placed and difficult to see.
3 Nov Pleiades Occultation by the Moon
8 Nov Moon lower right of Mars Late Evening
14 Nov Bright Star Spica above Crescent Moon Dawn
17 - 18 Nov Leonid Meteor Shower
23 Nov Moon above Jupiter Dusk
Pleiades Occultation:
The just past Full Moon will occultate or cover part of the Pleiades Star Cluster starting at 10 pm EST on the evening of 3 Nov. This is not a favorable occultation because the almost Full Moon brightness will overpower seeing the Pleiades Stars near the Moon. Giant binoculars or telescope may show a few of the brighter star cluster stars near the Moon.
Leonid Meteor Shower:
The Leonid Meteor shower will occur on the night of 17 -18 of November. Usually this weak shower would be lucky to produce a dozen meteors per hour. The new Moon will not interfere with observations of the Leonids Meteors. What makes this meteor shower so interesting is that predictions are out that the Leonids could have an outburst or an increase in the number of meteors. Predictions vary on the time and number of meteors at the out burst. One prediction is for the peak is at 4 am EST on the Morning of the 17th. Another prediction is for a peak at 10 pm EST on the Evening of the 17th. The last prediction is for a peak at 4 am EST on the Morning of the 18th. Predicted peak numbers of meteors vary from 30 - 100 per hour. It should be an interesting time to observe the Leonids and to see if any of the predictions will come true.
Written By: Gary T. Nowak
President; Vermont Astronomical Society
