NOVEMBER OBJECTS
The double cluster. NGC 869 and 884 is a gem for almost any observer.
The famous double cluster is conveniently located between Cassiopiea and Perseus and can be glimpsed with the naked eye under dark skies and can provide an attractive view through binoculars. Telescopically, you’ll need a magnification of around 70 times or less to fit them both within the same field of view. This is a beautiful object to view through a
telescope. You can see it very well in
light polluted skies, but once you bring
your telescope under a dark sky and then you have the opportunity to view the double cluster in the eyepiece, it is amazing how many more stars you can see.
Messier 33
Messier 33 is also known as the triangulum galaxy is 2.7 million light years away.
You can see it with binoculars, under dark skies as a faint oval patch of light, but you’ll need a larger telescope to see anything of its spiral arms. Visually speaking, in a light polluted area, the most that you may be able to see, even with a decent sized telescope, is going to be a light smudge in your eyepiece. Saturn and Uranus
So, first, let’s see what the planets and the moon are up to this month.
Mercury appears in both the evening and morning sky this month. It’s briefly visible in the evening sky until the 10th, about 15 minutes after sunset, very low in the west southwest. If you have binoculars, try looking for a faint ball, which appears 5° to Mercury’s right. Saturn and Neptune, remain visible for much of the night, separated by 4°, with a beautiful waxing gibbous moon appearing
to the right of Saturn on the 1st and then again on the 29th. Uranus is at opposition on the 21st while Jupiter is observable after midnight close to the
stars Castor and Pollux in the
constellation of Gemini. A waning gibbous
moon appears between Pollux and Jupiter in
the early hours of the 10th. Venus is low over the east southeastern horizon at about 30 minutes before dawn at the
start of the month. Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, appears to its right at that time and a thin crescent moon to its upper right on the 18th. step outside at around 15 minutes before sunrise on the 24th and the 25th, and you might also see a dim Mercury just 1.5° to the left of Venus.
The moon is full on the 5th, and the moon turns new on the 20th.
Saturn’s Rings Disappear
This month though Saturn remains visible for most of the night, but something special is happening this year that you can see visually through an eyepiece. It takes Saturn about 30 years to orbit the sun. For much of that time, the planet’s rings are clearly visible. However, every 15 years or so, when the Earth crosses Saturn’s orbital plane, the rings appear edge onto us, and for a brief time, they disappear, and on November 23rd, the rings won’t be edge on, but they’ll appear so narrow that they’ll all but disappear with only larger amateur scopes being able to detect them.
Uranus & Messier 45
Uranus, is also visible for most of the night in November. Uranus reaches opposition onthe 21st and is at its best for the entire year. Regular 10×50 binoculars will show the planet as a star-like point within the same field of view as the Pleiades star cluster, Messier 45.
A telescope magnified to 100 times will show the planet as a tiny blue disc.
Leonid Meteor Shower
This meteor shower will peak on the evening of the 16th of November or early hours of the 17th and you might see a few meteors. The Leonids are not the most prolific shower. You could about 15 meteors an hour under ideal conditions. The waning crescent moon won’t be causing any interference this time.
Here is a list of other meteor showers.
1. Major Meteor Showers
Quadrantid: January 2-5
Lyrid: April 21-22
Eta Aquarid: May 3-4
Perseid: August 12-13
Northern Taurid: November 8-9
Orionid: October 21-23
Leonid: November 16-17
Geminid: December 12-13
2. Go to the Darkest Place you can get to
In order to see meteors you must go to a dark sky site. Light pollution will wash out all but the brightest meteors.
3. Check the phase of the Moon
The moon will also wash out all but the brightest meteors also. So, before heading out check out the phase of the moon for the night the meteor shower will peak.
4. No Equipment Needed
To watch a meteor shower you don’t need any equipment. You only need a dark sky, warm clothes, and a blanket to lie on or a reclining chair.
