The Space Room
Night Sky Events for November 2010
by Anna Sanclement
Moon Phases for October 2010
The New Moon this month will be on Saturday the 6th, then the First Quarter Moon will occur on Saturday the 13th. The Full Moon will come on Sunday the 21st, and the Last Quarter Moon on Sunday the 28th.
Planet Lineup for November 2010
November will see the return of Saturn, which will be visible early in the morning before sunrise. The gas giant’s rings will be in an increasingly tilting position and will make for some stunning sights of the ringed planet.
Also in the morning sky is Venus as it shines brightly in the low eastern sky. You can begin to see it at the end of the first week in November just below the star Spica.
Jupiter continues its shiny spectacle being quite visible just as the sun goes down. By 8:00 p.m. it is pretty high in the southern sky and lies just below the Pegasus constellation.
Jupiter’s magnitude will decrease slightly by the end of November, but nonetheless, the planet will remain a big highlight of the night sky throughout the month.
Mercury and Mars can be found, preferably with binoculars, by looking to the low western horizon before the sky gets fully dark. The two can be seen close together on November 20th when they will be just 1.7 degrees apart.
Stars, Constellations and Galaxies to view in October
The Saggitarius Constellation can be spotted low in the southwestern sky at sunset on November 20th. Looking just below it you may be able to spot the Scorpius constellation as it lies just to the left of Mars and Mercury.
The great square of Pegasus is quite relevant high overhead by mid-month at about 8:00p.m. and it can be easily detected by its big square shape.
The Pleiades star cluster is coming back to the night skies this month appearing on the lower eastern skies at around 10 p.m. in the beginning of November. By mid-month it is a bit higher in the east and easier to spot. It looks like a very small dipper that becomes more apparent the more you look at it.
Look to the east of the Pleiades by mid-month to catch the Orion constellation as it begins to make its way back to its winter sky. It will be on the lower eastern horizon at around 8 p.m. by November 18th and by 10 p.m. it will be quite apparent to the southeast.
Look on up and smile!
This will be the last column of Night Sky Events for the month and I want to thank everyone who came back each month to catch up on the monthly sky events.
You can read more of Anna’s articles at:
The Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/space-news-in-national/anna-sanclement
http://www.examiner.com/science-news-in-national/anna-sanclement
http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-national/anna-sanclement
http://www.examiner.com/chuck-in-national/anna-sanclement
http://www.examiner.com/cw-network-in-national/anna-sanclement
Suite101:
http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/annasanclement
And check out the children’s book she co-published with mom: