Night Sky: Two meteor showers, visible planets, and other highlights for November
This is the Helix Nebula!
NGC7293, the Helix Nebula, happens to be one of my favorite deep-space objects. It has a visual magnitude of +7.59 and is believed to be between 650 and 790 light-years away from us.
The Helix Nebula never gets much more than 33° above the southern horizon. It’s a fairly large object, but not very easy to see, due to atmospheric disturbance and local light pollution. Many people refer to it as “the Eye of God.”
What you can look for in November’s Night Skies
Venus continues as the “Evening Star!” With a visual magnitude of -4.2, you won’t confuse it with anything else. Look for Venus to appear in the southwest as the skies get dark on November 1.
As the skies darken, you will be able to see Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter, the larger and brighter of the two planets, will be about 37° above the SSE horizon and Saturn will about 35° above the southern horizon.
Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn can all be seen with the naked eye. If you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, the two gas giants are spectacular targets. On November 1, you should be able to spot all four Galilean moons, (Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto), orbiting Jupiter just before 7:00 p.m. At 10:34 p.m., you might want to take a second look, and look for the red spot of Jupiter!
Of course, if you can see Saturn, you will be able to see it famous rings. But with a powerful set of binoculars or a small telescope, you also might be able to see its largest and brightest moon, Titan.
The constellation, Orion, rises at 9:35 p.m. on November 1. This constellation is a nebula powerhouse. The most prominent one is the Orion Nebula. With a visual magnitude of +4.0, it’s easy to spot with the naked eye. Simply look for the middle star in Orion’s sword. There are other beautiful nebulae associated with this constellation, including Barnard’s Loop (NGC 1975), IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula, the Horsehead Nebula (IC434), and M78, which happens to be the brightest reflection nebula in the sky.
Mercury might be visible in the east right before sunrise. It rises at about 6:03 a.m. and should be visible from about 6:30 until the light from the rising sun obscures the tiny planet.
Mars has been out of sight for quite a while now, but it will be visible near the eastern horizon just before sunrise for the last week of November.
There are two major meteor showers in November. The Northern Taurids peak on the night of November 4-5, and the Leonids peak on November 16-17.
The Northern Taurids appear to emanate from the constellation Taurus. You can expect about five shooting stars per hour, but this shower is famous for fireballs. One bright fireball can make you feel like getting up early was a good idea! Peak viewing begins at midnight. Simply look to clear skies in the south, and with a little luck, you should see a shooting star or two.
The Leonids peak on the night of November 16. You can expect to see about 15 shooting stars per hour. Like the Taurids, there is a good possibility of a fireball or two. As the name implies, the meteors appear to originate from the constellation Leo. Leo rises in the east just before midnight, but the best viewing of the meteor shower will probably be from 2:00 to 5:00 a.m.
Moon Phases:
1st Quarter is November 11
Full Moon is November 19
Last Quarter is November 27
New Moon is November 4
