* Astronomy

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RE: November 2012

Blobrana · L

The Leonids brighten the night sky in November

During the evening twilight this month, Mars is visible about 10 degrees (a hands width at arms length) above the SW horizon about an hour before sunset. You will have to be quick, though, as Mars drops below the horizon about an hour after the sun. Visible all night, Jupiter rises in the east approximately two hours after sunset as November begins, but by mid-month it rises during the evening twilight.
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Aldebaran is 4.3° from the Moon on the 1st November, 2012

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Lunar Apogee (distance to moon center: 399654.3 km, apparent diameter: 29'54.1") is at 15:17.5, 1st November, 2012

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Asteroid (704) Interamnia is at Opposition on the 14th November, 2012.

Magnitude: 9.9
Distance to Earth: 1.710 au
Distance to Sun center: 2.659 au

Asteroid (487) Venetia is at Opposition on the 19th November, 2012.

Magnitude: 11.4
Distance to Earth: 1.478 au
Distance to Sun center: 2.447 au

Asteroid (185) Eunike is at Opposition on the 24th November, 2012.

Magnitude: 11.4
Distance to Earth: 1.605 au
Distance to Sun center: 2.465 au

Asteroid (349) Dembowska is at Opposition on the 30th November, 2012.

Magnitude: 9.6
Distance to Earth: 1.760 au
Distance to Sun center: 2.740 au

Blobrana · L

Meteor Showers

There are many minor meteor showers this month...
The northern Taurids and southern Taurids started to become active about October 1st, but do not reach maximums until early November. Both have fairly slow meteors, with the northern Taurids velocity at 29 km per second, and the southern at 27 km per second.
The Taurids produce bright slow moving orange fireballs.
At maximum in November, both showers will peak at about ZHR rates of 5 meteors per hour.
The Southern Taurids will peak around the 5th November and the Northern Taurids the 12th November. Both these meteor showers are part of the Taurid stream which in turn has been associated with Comet Encke.
Late Orionid rates typically continue until about November 7, long after their October peak, for post-midnight observers. In early November their radiant lies a few degrees east of the second magnitude star Geminorum. The Leonid Meteor Shower is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 60 meteors per hour at their peak.

Shower	Activity Period	Maximum	Radiant		Velocity	ZHR
		Date	R.A.	Dec.	km/s
Northern Taurids	Oct 1 - Nov	November	3.2h	17.5°	29km/s	5
Southern Taurids	Oct 1 - Nov	November			27km/s	5
Leonids	Nov 17-21	Nov 17 - 19
November Monocerotids	Nov	Nov 22	7.3h	-6.1°	55km/s	92.2
Theta Ophiuchids	Nov	Nov 29	17.4h	-11.3°	11.1km/s	9.4

Blobrana · L

Deep-sky objects for November:
Andromeda: M 31 M 32
Cepheus: B173-4 IC1454 IC1470 Mrk50 NGC7235 NGC7261 NGC7354 NGC7380 NGC7419 NGC7510
Cygnus: NGC6819 NGC6826
Hercules: DoDz 9
Lyra:M56 M57 NGC6791
Pegasus: NGC 7814
Perseus:M 76
Triangulum:M 33

Highlights

Halloween, the word itself, is a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. It actually has its origins in the Celtic New Year. The holiday was called Samhain (Sah-ween). The date marked the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year travelled into the other world. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honour of the dead, to aid them on their journey. Here are a few deepsky objects to look out for:

In Aquila, "The Ghost of the Moon Nebula"
In Cetus, NGC246 called "The Skull Nebula".
In Bootes (abbreviated BOO), you may find The Spider Galaxy, NGC5829 .

Leonid Meteor Shower. The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these showers occurred in 2001. The shower peaks this year on November 19. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight.

The Pleiades
In the evening sky youll see the wonderful gem of an "open cluster" rising in the East. As Tennyson said "The Pleiads , rising thro' the mellow shade, Glitter like a swarm of fireflies Tangled in a silver braid...".
Nearly every culture mentions the Pleiades in some respect. Chinese writings appear to mention it from 2357 BC. American Indian folklore of the Kiowa talks of the "Seven Maidens" who where protected from giant bears by their placement in the skies. To the Japanese, they are called "Subaru".

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Mercury: at magnitude 0.0, starts the month in the constellation of Scorpius. Mercury is at Dichotomy (Half phase) on the 1st. Mercury is stationary on the 7th.
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Venus: is at magnitude -4.0. The planet is in constellation Virgo at the start of the month. It is best seen from 3.8h -15.7h. The Moon is 5.0° from Venus on the 11th. Venus and Saturn are less than 1 degree apart on the 27th.
(On November 1st, RA=12h17m57s Dec= -0°12.1' (J2000) Distance=1.257AU Phase k=80% Diameter=13.3")

Earth: A total eclipse of the sun will occur the 13-14th

The Moon: The Full Moon and an eclipse is on the 28th. Lunar perigee is on the 14th. Last Quarter Moon is in the 7th. Lunar apogee in the 1st. The New Moon is on the 13th. The First Quarter Moon (is on the 20th.

Mars: at magnitude 1.2 starts the month in the constellation Ophiuchus. The Moon is 3.9° from Mars on the 16th.
(On November 1st, RA=17h08m48s Dec=-23°58.1' (J2000) Distance=2.059AU Phase k=95% Diameter=4.5")

Jupiter: is in the constellation Taurus. At magnitude -2.8, the planet is observable in the morning sky. Jupiter is 0.9° from the Moon on the 5th.

Transit times of the Great Red Spot are posted in a seprate thread.
(On November 1st, RA= 4h54m47s Dec=+21°45.3' (J2000) Distance=4.203AU Diameter=46.8")

Saturn: at magnitude 0.6 sits in the constellation Virgo. The planet is best seen from 6.6h - 7.0h. Saturn is 4.1° from the Moon on the 12th.
(On November 1st, RA=14h06m14s Dec=-10°24.7' (J2000) Distance=10.762AU Diameter=15.4")

Uranus: is in the constellation Pisces. Uranus at magnitude 5.7, has a bluish-green hue and appears 3.6 arcseconds wide. Uranus is 4.8° from the Moon on the 23rd.
(On November 1st, A= 0h19m59s Dec= +1°21.2' (J2000) Distance=19.235AU Diameter=3.6")

Neptune: is at magnitude 7.8 in the constellation Aquarius. The planet is best seen from 18.6h -20.5h. Neptune is 5.8° from the Moon on the 24th.
(On November 1st, RA=22h10m01s Dec=-11°58.8' (J2000) Distance=29.629AU Diameter=2.3")

Pluto: is in the constellation Sagittarius (mag 14.1). Normally, a finder chart is necessary to help in identifying the 0.13" diameter dwarf planet. The dwarf planet is best seen from 19.5h - 4.5h. Pluto is 0.0° from the Moon on the 16th.
(On November 1st, RA=18h30m53s Dec=-19°46.2' (J2000) Distance=32.844AU Diameter=0.1")

The Sun enters the zodiac sign Scorpio at 00:15 UT, 23rd October.

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Larger telescopes give fascinating views of galaxies

Early on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 4, well turn the clocks back an hour, ending daylight saving time. By the time the solstice arrives in December, well be having an early dinner in the dark.
Of course, this is a double-edged sword for the Lawnchair. While this time of year typically brings on colder temperatures, it also opens up a window into the heavens that allows for much earlier evenings of prime-time stargazing.
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November astronomy highlights

The Leonids are regarded one of the better annual meteor showers to observe, he shower often produces 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The Leonids also have a cyclic peak every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour.
The last of these occurred in 2001.The shower is associated with the comet Tempel Tuttle and usually peaks on November 17 & 18, but you may see some meteors a few days either side of their peak.
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